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BOOK    OF    JOB: 


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BY 


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ROSSITER  W.  RAYMOND,  PH.D. 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 
By  Rev.  T.  J.  CONANT,  D.  D., 

AND  THE  TEXT   OF  THE  REVISED  VERSION    PREPAR2D   BY   DR.  OCilAI'.T.  fQS.TBE, 
AMERICAN   BIBLE  UN;^0^,    ;  « 


NEW  YORK: 

D.    APPLETON    AND    COMPANY, 

549   AND   551   BROADWAY. 

1878. 


OOPTEIGUT  BT 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY, 

ISTS. 


AUTHOE'S   PEEFAOE. 


The  members  of  the  Adult  Bible  Class  of  Pljmoutli 
Climx'li,  Brooklyn,  at  whose  request  this  book  has  been 
published,  will  need  no  explanations  as  to  its  origin  and 
nature ;  but,  for  the  information  of  others  into  whose 
hands  it  may  fall,  some  prefatory  remarks  seem  to  be 
required. 

During  the  year  1877  the  class  referred  to  was  en- 
gaged in  the  critical  study  of  the  Book  of  Job.  This 
portion  of  Scrijjture  was  selected,  j)artly  because  it  is 
one  of  those  which  have  been  most  sadly  abused  both 
in  translation  and  in  exegesis ;  partly  because  its  ad- 
mitted character  as  a  work  of  dramatic  art  takes  it  to  a 
great  extent  out  of  the  realm  of  theological  controversy, 
and  opens  it  to  unprejudiced  critical  examination ;  and 
finally  because  the  result  of  such  an  examination  is  to 
shed  unexpected  light  upon  the  whole  theory  of  Reve- 
lation as  a  history  of  divinely-guided  religious  culture. 

The  metrical  paraphrase  was  prepared,  M'cek  by 
week,  as  the  class  advanced  in  the  study  of  the  text, 


447603 


4  AUTUOR'S  PREFACE. 

and  was  presented  as  a  convenient  means  of  conveying  a 
version  more  accurate  in  its  fidelity  to  tlie  thought  of 
the  original  than  that  of  King  James's  translators.  As 
English  poetry,  it  can  lay  claim  to  no  other  virtue  than 
that  of  Saxon  simplicity.  Those  scholars  who  are  ac- 
quainted with  the  translations  and  commentaries  of 
Ewald,  Ilirzel,  Delitzsch,  and  Conant  will  find  no  star- 
tling novelty  in  the  departures  of  this  paraphrase  from 
the  accepted  version.  The  original  has  been  studied 
only  through  these  and  other  authors,  and  no  change 
has  been  adopted  which  is  not  justified  with  weighty 
arguments  by  one  or  more  of  them.  Where  equally 
good  authorities  disagree,  the  ground  of  choice  among 
them  has  been  furnished  by  the  context  rather  than 
the  word  or  phrase  in  dispute. 

"While  the  paraphrase  is  chiefly  to  be  judged  as  an 
attempt  to  reproduce  the  thoughts  and  arguments  of 
the  original,  it  may  possibly  serve  also  to  convey  a 
juster  conception  of  the  poetry.  Much  of  the  current 
talk  of  the  sublimity  of  Job  is  based  on  vague  impres- 
sions, formed  without  analysis.  For  instance,  a  famous 
passage  in  the  39th  chapter  describes  the  neck  of  the 
war-horse  as  "clothed  with  thunder" — a  phrase  which 
is  often  quoted  with  admiration,  but  is  merely  a  sono- 
rous mistranslation.  The  notion  of  noise  is  inseparable 
from  our  word  thunder,  while  the  notion  of  thunderous 
noise  has  nothinu-  to  do  with  the  mane  of  a  cluum'r. 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE.  5 

It  is  the  shaking  of  the  mane  which  the  original  indi- 
cates— a  shaking  M'liich  inspires  awe  in  the  behohler. 
This  instance  is  mentioned  because  it  is  familiar. 
Many  others  will  be  found  by  the  reader,  in  Avhicli  the 
obscurity  of  the  common  version  entirely  interrupts  the 
tliought. 

It  was  originally  intended  to  publish  the  paraphrase 
only,  as  an  cj^itome  and  memento  of  the  course  of  study 
pursued  by  the  class.  But  a  revision  of  it  for  this  pur- 
pose soon  developed  the  necessity  of  accompanying  it 
with  some  of  the  lectures  and  running  comments  which 
had  attended  its  first  delivery.  The  execution  of  this 
plan  has  been  much  hindered  by  professional  duties, 
which  have  left  but  scattered  and  scanty  intervals  for 
the  work  of  winnowing,  arranging,  verifying,  and  writ- 
ing out  the  memoranda  remaining  from  the  colloquial 
discourses  and  discussions  of  many  Sunday  afternoons. 
Space  as  well  as  time  has  been  limited ;  and  for  this 
reason  the  critical  notes  accompanying  the  paraphrase 
have,  of  necessity,  been  much  abridged.  As  a  conven- 
ient method  of  effecting  this  abridgment,  tliose  notes 
have  usually  been  omitted  which  justified  the  variations 
from  the  accepted  version,  where  such  variations  consist 
in  the  adoption  of  Conant's  version  instead.  The  lat- 
ter, prepared  by  the  Rev.  T.  J.  Conant,  D.  D.,  for  the 
American  Bible  Union,  and  pul)lishcd  by  that  society, 
is  strictly  a  "  revised  "  version ;    that  is,  it  retains  the 


6  AUTUOR'S  PREFACE. 

phraseology  of  our  English  Bible  wherever  a  conscien- 
tious application  of  the  niles  adopted  in  translation 
does  not  require  a  change.  In  the  quarto  edition,  with 
introduction  and  notes,  published  by  the  Bible  Union, 
the  changes  in  translation  are  amjjly  discussed  and  vin- 
dicated ;  and  to  that  volume,  which  is  easily  accessible 
in  this  country,  the  reader  of  this  paraphrase,  chiefly 
based  on  that  version,  is  referred  for  the  ex^ilanation  of 
its  peculiar  renderings.  But  the  German  translations 
of  Ewald,  Delitzsch,  and  others,  being  not  revisions, 
but  free,  original  versions,  give  to  many  passages  inter- 
pretations which  seem  preferable  to  their  more  conser- 
vative counterparts  in  the  Revised  Version.  These 
authorities  are  not  so  likely  to  be  within  reach  of 
American  students,  and  hence,  where  one  of  them  has 
been  followed  in  any  important  deviation,  the  notes 
will  be  found  to  point  out  the  difference. 

By  the  courtesy  of  the  American  Bible  Union,  the 
text  of  its  Revised  Yersion  is  included  in  this  volume ; 
but  from  what  has  already  been  said,  the  reader  will 
comprehend  that,  for  a  careful  study  of  the  paraphrase, 
the  critical  notes  of  the  quarto  edition  already  men- 
tioned are  necessary. 

Special  acknowledgment  should  also  be  made  of  the 
valuable  advice  and  assistance  received  from  Dr.  Conant 
personally,  and  for  tlie  introductory  notice  which  he  has 
kindly  furnished  to  the  present  volume. 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE.  Y 

As  to  tlie  views  expressed  in  tlie  explanatory  essays 
concerning  the  age,  nature,  structure,  and  teachings  of 
the  Book  of  Job,  it  may  be  said  tliat,  while  they  do  not 
in  all  resj)ects  coincide  with  those  of  any  previous 
writer  on  the  subject,  they  have  been  conscientiously 
fonned  and  exj)ressed,  without  any  desire  for  novelty 
as  such ;  and  they  are  suggested  with  all  deference, 
from  the  standpoint  of  a  Christian  layman,  in  the  hope 
that  they  may  contribute  somewhat  to  a  better  apj^reci- 
ation  of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  books  of  Scripture. 

E.  W.  R. 

Brooklyn,  June,  1878. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGR 

Inteoductory  Note 11 

I.  The  Book  of  Job 15 

II.    AUTHOESHIP   AND   AoE   OF   THE   BoOK              ...  18 

III.  The  Book  of  Job  as  a  IIistokical  Pictcee        .         .  23 

IV.  The  Plan  and  Purpose  of  the  Book       ...  36 
V.  The  Place  of  the  Book  in  Progressive  Eevelation  50 

VI.  The  Kevised  Version  and  Metrical  Paraphrase  .  03 


INTEODUCTOEY   NOTE. 


I  HAVE  read  with  mucli  interest  the  manuscript  of 
the  following  work  on  the  Book  of  Job.  Without  ac- 
cording with  all  the  writer's  views,  as  will  a23pcar  from 
his  ovm  notes,  I  cordially  commend  his  book,  as  a  fresh 
and  in  many  respects  original  discussion  of  the  leading 
topics  suggested  by  the  study  of  this  interesting  portion 
of  our  canonical  Scriptures,  and  noblest  production 
of  the  Hebrew  mind.  Its  popular  form,  its  freedom 
from  scholastic  and  theological  technicalities,  its  novel 
and  occasionally  somewhat  starthng  suggestions,  always 
thoughtful  and  worthy  to  be  weighed,  will  do  much  to 
awaken  fresh  interest  in  this  ancient  and  too  much 
neglected  poem. 

The  book  consists  of  critical  essays,  version,  and 
notes,  in  the  following  divisions : 

I.  General  outline  of  the  poem. 

II.  Its  author  and  age. 

III.  Analysis  of  it  as  a  historical  picture ;  namely, 
of  the  age  selected  by  its  author  for  a  historical  back- 
ground, as  represented  in  allusions  scattered  through 
the  book ;  physical  features  of  the  country ;  animals 
and  plants  ;  inhabitants,  their  possessions,  social  institu- 


12  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE. 

tions,  domestic  servitude,  diet,  clotliing,  ornaments,  occu- 
pations, and  industries ;  other  lands  as  known  by  travel ; 
rock  inscriptions ;  laws  and  public  institutions  ;  walled 
cities  ;  science  of  nature,  of  mind ;  religious  ideas. 

IV.  Plan  and  purpose  of  the  poem.  Jehovah,  lov- 
ing goodness  and  believing  in  it,  and  Satan,  hating  and 
sneering  at  it,  now  first  brought  out  in  contrast.  Views 
of  God,  of  life  and  providence,  differing  from  the  ear- 
lier divine  teachings,  but  legitimately  following  them  in 
the  line  of  progressive  inspiration  and  revelation  of  tiiith. 
Didactic  element  of  the  poem,  according  to  the  four 
leading  views ;  underlying  notions  of  providence  and 
sin.  The  conception  of  Satan  in  the  Book  of  Job ;  a 
single  feature,  but  an  eternal  one,  and  the  germ  thought 
of  the  whole  New  Testament  conception. 

V.  Its  place  in  progressive  revelation.  Doctrine  of 
calamity  and  doctrine  of  Satan.  Views  found  in  pre- 
vious sacred  writings  criticised  in  this,  a  proof  that  they 
preceded  it.  Suggestion  of  suffering  as  a  test  of  good- 
ness ;  expanded  and  supplemented  in  later  writei-s — as 
suffering  for  the  tiiith,  vicariously  for  otliei"s,  the  just 
for  the  unjust,  educational,  etc. ;  all  expanded  and  illu- 
mined in  the  New  Testament.  A  new  theory  of  suf- 
fering revealed  in  Christ,  and  shared  by  His  people  as  a 
precious  experience. 

Finally.  Pain,  a  part  of  the  plan  of  evolution  in 
the  natural  and  spiritual  world ;  divinely  perceived  by 
Job,  and  declared  in  the  New  Testament.  Function  of 
pain  shown  by  science  ;  recognized  by  Paul,  Pom.  viii. 
10-24. 

The  writer,  a  scientist  by  profession,  and  a  devout 
believer  in  the  divine  authority  of  the  Holy  Scriptures, 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE.  13 

has  mastered  the  literature  of  the  poem ;  and  with  lov- 
ing appreciation  he  seeks  to  set  forth  its  many  claims 
on  the  student  of  tlie  Scriptures,  and  on  all  who  are 
interested  in  the  struggle  of  ages  with  the  vexing  prob- 
lems of  human  life  and  divine  j^rovidence. 

T.    J.    CONANT. 


THE    BOOK    OF    JOB. 


I. 

THE   BOOK    OF   JOB. 


A  PERUSAL  of  this  book  as  a  wliole  leads  to  several 
conclusions  concerning  it,  with  the  recognition  of  which 
it  will  be  well  to  preface  our  deeper  study  of  its  contents. 

In  the  first  place,  I  need  scarcely  remark,  the  text  as 
given  in  our  English  Bible  is  exceedingly  obscure.  Whole 
passages  are  almost  unintelligible,  and  the  connections 
and  transitions  of  the  argument  or  the  poetry  are  often 
lost.  The  difficulties  which  arise  from  this  cause  will,  I 
trust,  be  removed  as  we  proceed,  by  suitable  comments  or 
by  the  substitution  of  a  closer  and  clearer  translation. 

It  is  evident  at  once  that  the  body  of  the  book  is  a 
dramatic  and  didactic  poem.  Hence  we  should  naturally 
not  expect  it  to  be  an  accurate  transcript  of  actual  con- 
versations. This  conclusion  is  confirmed  by  numerous 
evidences  of  an  artificial  structure,  such  as  the  regular  re- 
currence of  the  speakers,  each  in  his  turn,  the  division  of 
the  speeches  into  strophes,  the  competitive  odes  or  hymns 
of  praise  interjected  into  the  dialogue,  the  numbers  of 
Job's  cattle  and  childi'cn  before  and  after  his  affliction, 
and  (according  to  some  commentators)  the  names  of  his 


16  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

younger  daughters,  Jemima,  a  dove  ;  Kezia,  the  fragrant 
cassia ;  and  Keren-happuch,  a  paint-j^ot  for  cosmetics. 
Even  without  these  evidences,  it  would  be  difficult  to  be- 
lieve that  this  series  of  sustained,  often  sublime,  poetic 
discourses  could  have  been  uttered,  in  fact,  as  an  im- 
promptu colloquy  among  the  persons  and  under  the  cir- 
cumstances described.  We  have  to  deal,  then,  with  Job 
and  his  friends  as  we  would  with  characters  in  a  drama, 
not  personages  in  a  history. 

But  Job  is  referred  to,  elsewhere  in  the  Bible,  as  a 
real,  historic  person  ; '  and  Ewald  holds  that  the  names 
of  Job  and  his  friends  are  not  fictitious  but  legendary. 
Moreover,  the  disease  of  Job  agrees  in  symptoms  (burning 
of  the  skin,  ulcers,  drying,  cracking,  and  thickening  of  the 
skin,  wasting  of  the  body  through  years,  offensive  and 
contagious  breath,  suffocation  day  and  night)  with  a  va- 
riety of  elephantiasis  /  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  this 
was  a  part  of  the  true  history  of  a  real  man.  Job. 

We  may  conclude,  then,  that  the  author  of  this  drama 
selected  as  a  basis  the  story  of  the  affliction  and  restora- 
tion of  a  historical  personage.  This  variety  of  literary 
comj^josition  has  been  common  in  all  ages.  All  historical 
plays  are  instances  of  it.  The  Book  of  Ecclesiastes  is  even 
bolder  in  its  adoption  of  a  celebrated  name.  In  that  case, 
the  author  himself  speaks  as  King  Solomon. 

We  see  at  a  glance,  also,  that  the  didactic  purpose  of 
this  drama  is  apparently  twofold.     The  prologue  states 

'  See  Ezek.  xiv.  14,  20;  James  v.  11.  The  note  of  the  Seventy  also 
(about  280  u.  c),  attempting  to  identify  Job  with  the  Jobab  of  Gen. 
xxxvi.  32,  is  of  some  value  as  evidence  at  least  of  a  strong  tradition. 
There  are  also  legends  about  Job  in  the  Koran  ;  but  these  may  be  mere- 
ly distorted  inferences  or  fanciful  additions  to  the  book.  One  of  them 
tells  how,  after  his  afflictions  were  happily  ended,  he  "gently  chastised" 
his  erring  wife  ! 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  17 

one  problem — namely,  tlie  possibility  of  disinterested 
goodness  among  men.  The  dialogue  discusses  another — • 
namely,  the  rule  and  the  meaning  of  God's  providential 
dealings  with  men.  Prologue  and  epilogue,  being  written 
in  prose,  and  disconnected  from  the  rest  of  the  book, 
have  been  suspected  of  a  different  authorship.  But  this 
hypothesis  is  not  necessary  to  account  for  their  difference 
in  form,  spirit,  and  contents,  as  we  shall  see.  It  is  indeed 
remarkable  that  Satan  is  presented  in  the  prologue  as  the 
active  tormentor  of  Job,  and  yet  neither  his  agency  nor 
his  existence  is  so  much  as  hinted  at  by  Job,  or  his 
friends,  or  Jehovah  ;  and  still  more  remarkable  that  the 
meaning  of  Job's  affliction — namely,  as  a  test  of  his  good- 
ness— should  not  be  once  alluded  to  after  the  prologue. 
But  I  think  a  true  conception  of  the  plan  and  object  of 
the  drama  not  only  exj^lains  but  requires  these  peculiari- 
ties, as  well  as  the  omission  of  the  name  Jehovah  from  all 
parts  of  the  book,  except  the  prologue,  the  epilogue,  and 
the  speech  of  Jehovah  itself.' 

Another  and  most  important  peculiarity  is  the  omis- 
sion of  all  those  allusions  to  the  laws,  customs,  and  his- 
tory of  the  Israelites  with  which  other  Hebrew  books  are 
filled.  We  are  ready  to  exclaim  that  the  author  could 
not  have  heard  of  the  wilderness,  the  Red  Sea,  the  Egyp- 
tian captivity,  since  he  was  able  to  discuss  the  subject  of 
God's  providence  without  referring  to  them.  Concerning 
tabernacle  and  temple  he  is  equally  silent,  though  he 
makes  his  hero  cry  out  in  vain  for  the  presence  of  God — 
a  presence  which  in  this  special  sense  a  Hebrew  would 
have  sought  where  the  Shechinah  dwelt.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  book   abounds   in   allusions   and   descriptions 

'  See  a  single  exception,  chap.  xii.  9.     Another  reading  gives  "God" 
here. 


18  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

showing  familiarity  with  Egypt  and  Arabia.  The  hippo- 
potamus, the  ostrich,  the  crocodile,  the  swift  river-canoes 
of  the  Nile,  the  operations  of  mining,  the  characteristics 
of  climate  and  industry,  the  aspect  of  the  heavens  in  va- 
rious latitudes — these  and  many  other  signs  show  that  the 
author  had  traveled  or  dwelt  in  those  countries. 

"We  are  thus  led  to  consider  the  question,  Who  wrote 
the  book  ?  or,  if  that  be  insoluble,  the  perhaps  more  im- 
portant question,  At  what  period  was  it  probably  written  ? 


II. 

AUTHOKSniP  AND  AGE  OF  THE  BOOK. 

Under  this  head  we  are  met  at  once  by  the  uniform 
Jewish  tradition  that  Moses  wrote  "  Job  ; "  and,  since  it 
contains  no  allusion  to  the  exodus,  that  he  wi'ote  it  before 
the  exodus.  The  argument  in  favor  of  this  view  is  suc- 
cinctly and  forcibly  stated  by  Conant  in  his  "  Introduc- 
tion to  the  Revised  Aversion  of  Job."  But  there  are  two 
considerations  which  counterbalance  all  that  can  be  said 
on  that  side.  The  first  is  that  the  composition  of  such  a 
work  presupposes  an  audience  for  it,  and  therefore  a  sort 
of  current  in  the  thought  of  the  age  running  toward  such 
subjects.  The  tone  of  this  book  is  not  that  of  the  Egyp- 
tian captivity,  but  rather  of  a  period  subsequent  to  David. 
The  second,  and  to  my  mind  conclusive,  consideration  is 
that  the  doctrines  of  the  book  are  clearly  post-Mosaic. 
If  we  are  to  believe  that  Moses  wrote  it,  then  we  must 
believe  that  he  held  these  views  as  an  esoteric  philosophy, 
and  omitted  from  the  religion  which  he  gave  to  his  peo- 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  19 

pie  the  truths  which  had  been  revealed  to  him  in  the  des- 
ert. The  book  itself  must  have  been  suppressed  until  long 
after  his  day.  The  ignorant  Israelites  could  not  have 
been  trained  under  the  discipline  of  the  Law,  if  they  had 
had  at  the  same  time  the  fiery,  cynical,  half -skeptical,  and 
enigmatical  commentary  which  the  Book  of  Job  fur- 
nishes. There  is  nothing  abnormal  or  contrary  to  the 
conception  of  an  inspired  revelation  in  the  development 
of  truth  by  wider  views  and  deeper  analysis  through  suc- 
cessive sacred  writers.  But  it  is  repulsive  to  conceive  of 
an  inspired  teacher  as  first  gaining  the  wider  view,  and 
then  deliberately  hiding  it,  to  utter  the  truth  in  cruder 
and  more  partial  forms. 

Again,  the  proximity  of  Moses  in  time  and  place  to  the 
scene  of  this  story,  though  urged  in  support  of  his  author- 
ship, is  rather  an  argument  to  the  contrary.  For  if,  as 
we  have  seen,  the  book  is  poetry,  based  on  a  few  histori- 
cal facts,  it  is  far  more  likely  to  have  been  written  when 
the  facts  themselves  had  become  a  legend  rather  than  a 
familiar  history.  Moses  makes  no  mention  of  Job  in  his 
history  of  the  patriarchal  ages. 

Some  of  these  considerations  are  equally  conclusive 
against  any  Hebrew  authorship  of  this  book  before  the 
exodus.  We  are  therefore  driven  to  suppose  either  that 
it  was  written  by  a  foreigner,  and  subsequently  translated 
into  Hebrew,  or  that  it  was  written  by  a  Hebrew  of  a 
later  period,  who  intentionally  avoided  all  Jewish  pecul- 
iarities, ignoring  Abi*aham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  the  his- 
tory of  the  children  of  Israel. 

The  first  of  these  suppositions  would  be  a  very  con- 
venient solution  of  several  difliculties.  But  it  is  exposed 
to  three  serious  objections.  The  style  of  the  book  is  pro- 
nounced by  all  the  best  critics  to  be  in  form  and  spirit 
that  of  an  original  creation  ;  there  is  no  scrap  of  tradition 


20  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

to  countenance  the  notion  of  its  foreign  origin  ;  and  its 
conception  of  God  and  His  relations  to  the  world  is  so 
deeply  and  characteristically  Hebrew,  that  it  is  difficult  to 
conceive  of  its  birth  in  any  other  literature.  On  this  point, 
further  remarks  will  be  made,  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

We  are  thus  shut  up  to  the  conclusion  that  the  I>ook 
of  Job  was  written  by  a  Hebrew,  who,  having  placed  the 
scene  and  characters  of  his  drama  before  the  dawn  of  the 
Jewish  national  history,  avoided,  in  obedience  to  the  rules 
of  his  art,  the  anachronism  of  introducing  allusions  to  that 
history.  The  deeper  motive  of  thus  rendering  more  freely 
and  widely  applicable  to  human  life  the  discussion  of  the 
great  problem  of  Providence,  may  be  supposed  to  have 
actuated  him  in  this  choice  of  characters.  The  oj^inions 
and  practices  of  his  own  age  could  be  criticised  with 
greater  force  through  the  fictitious  speeches  of  personages 
long  passed  away.  A  close  study  of  the  book  leads  us  to 
suspect  that  this  is  really  what  it  does  ;  and  there  is 
nothing  in  the  literary  device  thus  supposed  to  be  em- 
ployed which  is  either  uncommon  among  profane,  or  un- 
Avorthy  of  sacred,  WTiters. 

It  is  not  practicable  to  fix  closely  the  date  of  the  com- 
position. Without  citing  in  detail  the  arguments  ad- 
vanced at  different  periods  by  scholars,  we  may  say  that, 
on  the  whole,  it  appears  probable  that  it  was  before  the 
captivity,  and  after  the  reign  of  David.  Several  lines  of 
inquiry  converge  toward  the  period  favored  by  Ewald, 
the  early  part  of  the  seventh  century  n.  c,  or  a  somewhat 
earlier  date,  perhaps  750  b.  c.  These  investigations  con- 
sist chiefly  of  a  minute  study  of  the  passages  in  the  Book 
of  Job  which  seem  to  be  quoted  or  adapted  from  other 
Scriptural  books,  and  vice  versa.  It  is,  of  course,  not  always 
easy  to  decide  which  is  the  original,  and  which  the  see 
ondary,  use  of  the  figure  or  expression  common  to  two 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  21 

books,'  nor  can  it  be  safely  assumed  as  certain  that  the 
similarity  indicates  any  connection.  This  kind  of  reason- 
ing is  acknowledged  to  require  much  critical  insight  as  well 
as  learning,  and  to  acquire  force  only  when  many  corrob- 
orative instances  have  been  accumulated. 

There  is  in  the  present  case  another  criterion — namely, 
the  analysis  of  the  doctrines  of  the  book,  and  the  determi- 
natioi'i  of  their  place  in  the  series  of  progressive  revela- 
tion. This  inquiry  will  occupy  another  chapter,  and  will 
be  found  to  furnish  a  strong  corroboration  of  the  view 
above  indicated  as  to  the  age  of  the  drama. 

The  person  of  the  author  is  absolutely  unknown.  The 
various  conjectures  which  have  been  put  forth  (apart 
from  that  which  names  Moses,  on  the  authority  of  tradi- 
tion) are  entirely  without  basis. 

As  to  the  genuineness  and  unity  of  the  book,  as  we 
possess  it,  there  are  some  differences  of  opinion.  The 
prologue,  the  speech  of  Elihu,  a  part  of  the  address  of 
Jehovah  (xl.  15  to  xli.  20),  and  the  epilogue  are  pro- 
nounced, some  by  one  eminent  scholar  and  some  by  an- 
other, to  be  additions  by  a  later  hand.  All  are  defended, 
however,  with  equal  ability,  by  scholars  of  equal  candor. 
The  conclusion  to  which  I  have  been  led  by  rcj)eated 

'  As  a  specimen  of  tliis  argument,  I  quote  (condensing  and  translat- 
ing) the  following  from  Ewald's  "  Buch  Ijob "  (2.  Auflage,  1854,  p. 
64) :  "  Of  the  Pt^alms  of  tbo  third  period,  some  refer  very  distinctly 
to  this  book  ;  as  also  Zech.  i.  10,  11,  iii.  1,  2,  and  vi.  5,  presuppose  as 
long  known  the  descriptions  in  the  first  chapters  of  Job.  The  term 
warfare  in  Is.  xl.  2  is  from  Job  vii.  1,  or  of  the  same  period.  Ezek.  xiv. 
14,  20  mentions  Job,  because  the  book  had  made  that  hero  again  fa- 
mous. In  Jeremiah,  and  still  more  in  Lamentations,  are  many  echoes. 
Compare  Jer.  xx.  14-18,  xv.  18,  xvii.  1,  xlix.  19,  with  Job  iii.  3-20,  vi. 
15  et  acq.,  xi.\.  24,  ix.  19,  and  Lam.  i.  12,  13,  ii.  4,  iii.  4,  Y,  9,  12,  etc., 
with  numerous  similar  passages  in  Job.  On  the  other  hand,  the  phrase 
in  Job  ix.  8  is  probably  from  the  earlier  and  simpler  Amos  iv.  13,"  etc. 


22  TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

study  of  the  debate  is  that  the  speech  of  Elihu  is  quite 
probably  an  interpolation,  but  that  the  rest  are  genuine.* 
This  question,  however,  will  not  affect  the  view  to  be 
taken  of  the  object  and  teachings  of  the  book.  The  con- 
clusions to  which  we  shall  be  led  are  substantially  the 
same,  whether  the  sjieech  of  Elihu  was  originally  an  inte- 
gral part  of  the  composition,  or  was,  as  some  suggest, 
subsequently  added  by  the  author  himself,  or  was,  as 
others  assert,  inserted  by  a  later  hand.  In  any  case, 
whatever  Elihu  says  that  the  other  characters  have  not 
said  before  him  bears  the  relation  of  an  afterthought  to 
the  debate.  The  theory  that  Elihu  is  neither  answered 
by  Job  nor  reproved  by  the  Almighty,  because  he  had 
put  forward  the  true  solution  of  the  problem  under  dis- 
cussion, and  had  done  it  in  a  proj)er  spmt,  will  not  bear 
examination.' 

°  For  able  defences,  see  Conant's  "Introduction,"  already  cited,  and 
Smith's  "  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,"  art.  "  Job."  As  to  the  speech  of 
Elihu,  the  argument  of  Ewald  is  partly  reproduced  by  Mr.  J.  A.  Froude 
("  Short  Studies  on  Great  Subjects — The  Book  of  Job  ").  It  is  not,  how- 
ever, the  philological  argument  (which  Conant  forcibly  answers),  but  the 
literary  one,  and  particularly  (1)  the  silence  of  the  book  as  to  Elihu;  (2) 
the  reply  of  the  Almighty  to  Job,  ignorins  Elihu;  (S)  the  different  style 
and  the  weakness,  when  candidly  considered,  of  Elihu's  speech  as  a 
whole ;  and  (4)  the  completeness  and  greater  strength  of  the  poem  with- 
out it,  which  seem  to  me  to  incline  the  balance  against  it. 

*  Not  only  such  passages  as  xxxiv.  5-9,  36,  37,  xxxv.  15,  IG,  and 
xxxvi.  5-21,  but  the  whole  spirit  of  the  speech,  shows  that  Elihu  regards 
Job  in  the  same  light  as  do  the  three  friends,  that  of  an  unrepentant 
sinner  and  hypocrite ;  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  point  out  what  they 
have  said  of  God  that  is  "not  right,"  which  Elihu  does  not  say  or  imply, 
lie  does  indeed  suggest  the  merciful  purpose  of  affliction  to  lead  man  to 
repentance ;  but  the  greater  difficulty,  which  Job  has  so  eloquently 
stated,  concerning  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  he  does  not  meet  at  all, 
except  by  an  impotent  denial  that  tliey  are  prospered — a  return  to  the 
ground  on  which  the  three  friends  had  been  ignominiously  defeated  by 


TUE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  23 


III. 


THE   BOOK    OF   JOB   AS    A    HISTORICAL   PICTURE. 

A  HISTORICAL  picture  may  be  a  picture  painted  in  the 
period,  and  pei-haps  by  an  eye-witness  of  the  scene,  which 
it  commemorates  ;  or  it  may  be  merely  the  attempt  of  a 
skillful  and  scholarly  artist  to  depict  a  period  and  a  scene 
with  which  his  learning  and  his  fancy,  not  his  personal 
experience,  have  made  him  acquainted.  In  like  manner, 
history  itself  may  be  either  contemporaneous,  such  as  is 
furnished  by  the  newspapers,  or  retrospective  and  second- 
ary, based  on  contemporaneous  documents.  The  Book  of 
Job,  considered  as  a  historical  picture,  belongs  to  the  sec- 
ond class.  It  was  not  written  in  the  age  which  it  de- 
scribes. It  is  a  picture  of  that  age  drawn  by  a  scholar 
and  artist  who  never  saw  it,  and  centuries  after  it  had 
passed  away.  Its  hints  of  manners,  laws,  and  beliefs  are 
not  the  unconscious  self -betrayals  of  nature  ;  they  are  the 
skillful  touches  of  art.  While  this  fact  diminishes,  on 
the  one  hand,  the  historical  authority  of  the  book,  it  en- 
hances, on  the  other  hand,  its  literary  excellence.  In  a 
few  instances,  possibly,  the  author  has  been  betrayed  into 
anachronisms.     The  allusions  to  the  captivities  of  nations, 

an  appeal  to  facts  too  notorious  to  be  contradicted.  To  call  this  arro- 
gant but  insufficient  reply  so  complete  that,  in  the  conception  of  the  au- 
thor, Job  could  not  refute  it,  and  the  Almighty  must  needs  approve  it 
by  silence,  is  to  underrate  the  poet's  grasp  of  his  subject,  and  destroy 
the  real  teaching  of  the  book,  which  is,  plainly  enough,  that  the  problem 
of  Providence  is,  by  reason  of  the  greatness  of  God  and  the  littleness  of 
man,  in  its  nature  insoluble,  and  that  the  current  theories  on  the  subject 
were  then,  as  they  are  now,  inadequate.  See,  for  further  discussion  of 
this,  the  following  chapters. 


24  TUE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

for  instance,  seem  to  be  more  appropriate  to  the  age  of 
the  writer  than  that  of  his  subject ;  and  the  speculative 
tone  of  the  discussions  concerning  Providence  is  in  a  cer- 
tain sense  not  like  the  patriarchal  period.  But  the  latter 
is  an  allowable  poetic  license.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
are  ample  proofs  of  the  skill  and  consistency  Avith  which 
he  has  adhered  to  the  type  he  had  chosen.  Writing 
in  an  age  of  commerce,  and  making  frequent  allusion 
to  the  sea,  he  does  not  once  mention  ships,  because  ships 
were  not  in  keeping  with  the  patriarchal  times  of  which 
he  was  writing.  Holding  himself  a  clear  belief  in  the  ex- 
istence of  Satan  and  his  personal  hostility  to  good  men, 
he  does  not  put  into  the  mouth  of  any  of  his  characters  a 
hint  of  this  doctrine,  jjresumably  of  later  origin  than  their 
time.  Not  unacquainted,  if  we  suppose  him  to  have  read 
the  Scriptures  of  his  own  people,  with  the  idea  of  suicide 
as  an  escape  from  suffering  or  dishonor,  he  nevertheless 
represents  his  hero  as  enduring  the  utmost  pangs  without 
a  thought  of  it,  and  finally  rewards  him  with  that  pro- 
longed life,  far  beyond  the  longest  lives  of  the  times  of 
Ezekiel  or  Jeremiah,  which  constituted  in  the  estimate 
of  the  jDatriarchs  the  seal  of  the  favor  of  God.  Above 
all,  he  rigidly  excludes  from  this  drama  all  references  to 
the  national  history  of  the  Jews.  Adam  is  mentioned  by 
name,'  and  the  flood  is  probably  alluded  to  in  a  single 
passage ; '  but  here  the  historical  references  stop,  except 
so  far  as  the  names  of  men  and  places  remind  us  of  patri- 
archal worthies.  From  such  evidences  as  these,  we  are 
justified  in  concluding  that  this  unknown  author  under- 
took to  give  to  his  discussion  of  a  great  religious  question 
the  setting  of  a  period  not  his  own,  and  to  keep  his  poetic 
genius,  therefore,  within  the  self-prescribed  limits  of  his- 

'  xxxi.  33  -  xxii.  IG. 


THE  BOOK   OF  JOB.  25 

torical  accuracy.  It  is  worth  our  Avliile  to  spend  a  few 
moments  in  reconstructing,  from  the  rich  material  be- 
fore us,  the  conception  which  existed  in  the  poet's  mind 
while  he  wrote. 

Idumaea  on  the  south,  Judjea  on  the  west,  Bashan  on 
the  north,  and  Arabia  on  the  east,  inclose  the  scene  of 
this  history — a  land  of  fertile  fields,  alternating  with  wide 
stock-ranges  and  pastures,  and  bounded  by  mountains  and 
deserts.  The  climate  is  that  of  a  dry  inland  plateau  ; ' 
the  sun  blazes  hot  by  day,''  but  the  nights  are  cool,*  and 
through  the  clear  atmosphere  the  moon  and  stars  shine 
with  peculiar  brightness.*  Ice  and  snow  lie  on  the  moun- 
tains in  the  winter,  and,  thawing  in  the  spring,  fill  the 
ravines  with  turbid  torrents,*  which  flow  out  into  the  des- 
ert and  lose  themselves,  or  in  the  heat  of  summer  dry  up 
and  disappear.  The  rainy  season  proper,  which  occurs  in 
the  autumn,  is  followed  by  a  few  irregular  spring  show- 
ers, called  the  latter  rains,"  on  which  the  fate  of  the  growing 
crops  chiefly  depends.  But  in  the  dry  season  also  storms 
are  not  unknown.  Thunder  and  lightning,'  great  cloud- 
bursts wdth  deluges  of  sudden  rain,  and  whirlwinds,*  form 
suddenly  in  the  sky,  or  come  sweei^ing  on  the  stormy  east 
wind  ; "  and  sometimes  the  simoom  from  the  south  invades 
the  pastures  and  overwhelms  the  flocks.'"  The  scarred 
mountain-sides  bear  witness  in  their  rocky  canons  of  the 
force  of  carving  torrents,"  which  have  scattered  the  de- 
bris far  over  the  plain. 

Water  is  the  source  and  sign  of  all  prosperity  in  such 
a  land  ; '"  without  its  supply,  either  by  rain  or  in  streams, 
the  dreaded  drouth  ''  destroys  all.     Only  the  mountain 

•  vi.  15,  etc.  *  XXX.  28.  ^  xxiv.  7.  *  xxv.  5;  xxxi.  26.  *  vi.  1.5. 
^  xxix.  23.  ■•  xxii.  16;  xxvi.  14;  xxx.  22;  xxxviii.  1,25;  xxxviii.  35-S8. 
■*  xxvii.  20.  9  XV.  2  ;  xxvii.  21  ;  xxviii.  24.  '"  i.  16.  "  xiv,  19.  '^  v.  10. 
'»xv.  30. 


26  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

pastures,  haunted  by  tlie  wild  goats  and  asses,  arc  com- 
paratively exempt  from  such  visitations.  The  failure  of 
the  harvest  or  the  destruction  of  the  herds,  whether  by 
such  climatic  vicissitudes  or  by  the  ruthless  hand  of  war, 
brings  famine,*  and  upon  famine  follows  pestilence.* 
Sometimes  ice,  snow,  and  hail  afflict  the  valleys,^  causing 
distress  and  loss.  Either  through  legends  or  by  personal 
observation,  the  terrors  of  volcanoes  *  and  earthquakes  ^ 
are  not  unknown.  The  regular  floods  of  the  Nile,"  like 
the  inhabitants  of  its  waters,  or  the  unknown  stars  which 
shine  in  southern  zones,  or  the  great,  mysterious,  stormy 
Mediterranean  and  Indian  seas,'  are  known  only  by  hear- 
say to  the  dwellers  in  this  inland  realm. 

Of  animals,  there  are  a  few  species  employed  by  man, 
and  many  others  running  wild.  Thousands  of  sheep 
(guarded  by  dogs),  goats,  camels,  oxen,  and  asses  consti- 
tute the  chief  wealth  of  the  richest  proprietors  ;  *  the 
horse  is  apparently  not  well  known,  except  as  a  terrible 
animal,  rushing  with  the  chariot  into  battle,'  or  as  used 
in  hunting  by  some  of  the  desert  tribes.'"  The  onager  or 
wild  ass,"  the  deer,  and  the  chamois  "  roam  the  hills  ; 
the  lion  and  the  jackal  haunt  the  jungle  or  hunt  on  the 
sandy  plain.''  The  wild  ox '^  (perhaps  the  buffalo,  or 
perhaps  a  more  imposing  and  untamable  animal)  is 
occasionally  seen ;  and  still  stranger  beasts,  such  as 
the  unwieldy  hippopotamus,"  the  fierce  crocodile,'"  and 
the  swift  ostrich,"  are  known  through  travelers.  Per- 
haps the  last  even  inhabits  some  portions  of  the  land 
of  Uz.'^ 

'v.  20.  -V.  20;  xxvii.  15.  »  xxxviii.  22,  29.  '•xviii.  15.  *  ix.  5; 
xxvi.  11.  *vii.  12.  '  ix.  0;  xxvi.  16.  « ;.  3,  1*7;  vi.  5;  xsiv.  2,  3. 
•xxxix.  19,  etc.  '"xxxix.  18.  "  vi.  5;  xi.  12;  xxiv.  5;  xxxix.  5. 
"  xxxix.  1.  '3  iv.  10;  xvi.  10  ;  xxxi.  29;  xxxviii.  39.  "  xxxix.  9.  '»  xl. 
15.     '**  vii.  12;  xli.  1.     "  xxxix.  13-18.     '» xxx.  29. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  27 

The  hawk  *  and  the  vulture  "  find  their  food  in  the 
decaying  carcasses  of  the  lion's  prey,  or  the  bodies  of 
animals  dead  from  age  or  accident ;  while  the  eagle  sits 
in  his  mountain  eyrie,  and  watches  for  his  chance  to 
swoop  and  slay.'  Other  birds  too  are  known,  and  some, 
perhaps  rare,  imported  ones  of  curious  plumage  or  melo- 
dious song,  are  kept  to  please  the  ladies.*  Harmless 
grubs,^  worms,"  and  spiders '  delve  and  spin  in  the  field  ; 
the  asp  and  the  adder  are  apparently  the  only  poisonous 
reptiles  *  commonly  found.  Fishes  are  not  an  article  of 
food  ;  perhaps  they  are  not  known  at  all,  except  vaguely, 
as  inhabitants  of  the  distant  sea.'  Bees  furnish  honey  ; '" 
moths  flutter  and  die,  or  lay  their  eggs  in  store-closets 
among  the  garments,  as  they  have  done  and  will  do,  to 
the  annoyance  of  the  housekeeper,  forever. 

In  the  plain  the  palm  '*  and  the  olive,'*  and  on  the 
mountain  the  cedar,"  stand  as  emblems  of  strength,  glory, 
and  fruitf ulness.  The  bramble  **  of  the  wilderness,  trans- 
planted and  cultivated,  furnishes  a  thorny  hedge  "  to 
protect  the  field  and  garden.  The  papyrus,"  both  grace- 
ful and  useful,  waves  by  the  river  side,  or  is  manufactured 
into  cords,  or  even  woven  into  boats.  Grass  grows  wild ; " 
willows,'*  marsh-grass,  "  and  lotus '"'  fringe  the  streams  ; 
the  salt-plant  and  the  broom  ^'  dot  the  desert,  as  do  the 
sage  and  grease-wood  in-  the  great  interior  basin  of  North 
America ;  the  cultivated  fields  bear  wheat  and  barley," 
and  in  the  vineyards  hang  clusters  from  the  vine."  Flow- 
ers of  some  kind  there  must  be,  since  all  things  that  grow 
bloom  ;   but  they  seem  to  attract  little  love  or  notice. 

'  xxxix.  26.  ''xxxviii.  41.  *xxxix.  27.  *  xli.  5.  *xxv.  6.  "  xxi. 
26,  etc.  ■"  viii.  14.  »  xx.  16.  » xii.  8.  '"  xx.  11 ;  iv.  19  ;  xiii.  28  ;  xxvii. 
18.  "xv.  32.  "xv.  33.  '3x1.16.  "  xxx.  7.  '^y.  s-xix.  8.  "viii. 
11  ;  ix.  26  ;  xl.  21  ;  xli.  2.  "  xxxviii.  27  ;  xl.  15.  '«  xl.  22.  "  viii.  11. 
20  xl.  22.     '^  XXX.  4.     22  xxxi.  40.     "  xv.  33. 


28  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

Even  the  poet  only  sees  in  them  a  type  of  frailty  and 
swift  destruction.' 

Amid  such  natural  surroundings  lives  a  race  of  men,  in 
whom  the  old  patriarchal  simplicity  has  not  yet  been  su- 
perseded by  the  multitude  of  new  ideas  and  occupations 
which  have  been  added  to  it.  They  still  count  their 
wealth  in  flocks  and  herds,  or  in  hoarded  treasure  of  pre- 
cious metals  or  rich  clothing."  They  still  practise  po- 
lygamy,' and  maintain  the  authority  of  the  father  and 
head  of  the  family  over  all  his  descendants  and  dejiend- 
ents.*  Old  age  is  held  in  reverence  among  them,^  and 
the  first-born  son  leads  his  brethren.*  Themselves  a  race 
of  conquerors,  they  have  banished  or  enslaved  the  abo- 
rigines,' who  are  so  degraded  as  not  to  be  useful  even  as 
laborers,  but  lurk  in  caves,  feed  on  roots  and  herbs,  or 
hang  about  the  settlements  to  steal.  Slaves  there  are 
besides,*  both  captives  of  war  ®  and  helpless  victims 
seized  in  childhood  for  the  debts  of  their  parents."  Their 
lot  is  hard  or  easy,  according  to  the  temper  of  their  mas- 
ters. If  they  are  wronged,  they  have  no  redress.  Only 
the  fear  of  God's  wrath  restrains  the  absolute  power  of 
the  slaveholder  " — in  too  many  cases  an  impotent  consid- 
eration. Woman  takes  no  part  in  public  or  social  doings, 
and  is  regarded  as  an  inferior  creature."  The  poor  who 
are  not  slaves  labor  for  hire.*'  In  the  cities  there  are 
houses  "  and  palaces  ;  '*  in  the  country  people  dwell  chiefly 
in  tents.*"  Hospitality  is  shown  to  strangers  ;  "  kinsmen 
maintain  intimate  relations  ;  '*  friends  make  long  journeys 
to  visit  one  another."     Feast-days  are  kept ; ""  great  joy 

'  xiv.  2.  'xxvii.  16,  17.  »  xxvii.  15.  ■»  i.  4,  etc.  ^  xv.  10;  xxis.  8. 
'  i.  19.  'xxiv.  5;  xxx.  1-8.  ^i.  3,  15,  1*7;  iii.  19;  xix.  16.  Mii.  18. 
'"  vi.  2T ;  xxiv.  9.  "  xxxi.  13.  "  ii.  9,  10 ;  xv.  14,  etc.  '^  vii.  1 ;  xiv.  6. 
>•»  XX.  19  ;  xxviii.  4.  >*  xxi.  28.  '«  iv.  19,  etc.  ''  xix.  15.  "*  xix.  14. 
'Mi.  11     «»i.  4.. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  29 

attends  the  birth  of  children,  especially  of  sons  ;  *  grief 
is  manifested  by  shaving  the  head,  tearing  the  garments,* 
and  putting  sackcloth  on  the  body,*  and  sympathy  by 
sitting  long  in  silence,  weeping  aloud,  and  strewing  dust 
on  the  head/  Wine,^  milk,'  bread,'  and  eggs  *  are  part 
of  the  usual  diet.  Salt  is  used  in  cooking  or  added 
at  the  table.*  Fires  are  kei)t  in  the  tents,'"  and  lamps  or 
lanterns  hang  over  them."  The  ashes,  perhaps  after  be- 
ing leached  for  lye,  are  thrown  in  heajDS,  together  with 
broken  crockery  and  other  refuse.  ^^  The  men  wear  an 
inner  "  and  an  outer  garment,  the  latter  of  which  is  gird- 
ed up,  to  shorten  it,  for  work  or  war.'*  Crowns  '^  and 
rings '"  are  worn  for  ornament  or  honor.  The  dead  are 
buried  in  tombs,"  and  the  custom  of  building  pyra- 
mids '*  as  sepulchres  is  (unless  we  consider  this  allusion 
an  anachronism),  if  not  practised,  at  least  known.  All 
expressions  of  feeling  are  frank  and  strong.  Children 
dance  ;  "  reverence  is  indicated  by  standing  and  silence '"' 
in  the  presence  of  its  object  ;  contempt  by  spitting  before 
his  face." 

The  occupations  of  the  inhabitants  of  Uz  comprise 
many  industries.  There  are,  first,  the  various  oj^erations 
of  cattle-raising  "  and  agriculture.  The  land  is  ploughed  " 
with  the  aid  of  oxen,  harnessed  with  cords  ;  "^^  the  seed  is 
sown,'^  and  after  the  latter  rains,  when  the  grain  is  ripe,  it 
is  harvested  in  sheaves.''*  These  are  loaded  by  the  slaves  "^ 
upon  wagons,  and  hauled  to  the  threshing-floor,"*  where 
they  are  threshed  by  dragging  over  them  a  heavy,  rough 
barrow  or  threshing-sledge.*'      Outcasts   glean   the  har- 

'iii.  6.  2  i.  20.  3xvi.  15.  •»  ;;  jo,  13.  M.  13,  18.  «  xx.  1*7 ;  xxix. 
6.  •' xxii.  7.  «vi.  6.  9  vi.  C.  i"  xviii.  5.  'i  xviii.  6.  '^  ji.  8 ;  ix.  30. 
'3  XXX.  18.  '•«  xxxviii.  3.  ^^xxxi.  30.  '«xlii.  11.  "  xxi.  32.  isiii.  14. 
'»  xxi.  11.  20  xxix.  8,  9.  «'  xxx.  10.  ^'^  xxi.  10,  etc.  23xxxix.  10.  ^J  xxxix. 
10.     *5  xxxi.  8.     20  V.  26.     "  xxiv.  10.     ^s  xin,  25;  xxxix.  12.     '^xli.  30. 


30  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

vested  fields/  or  the  vineyards,  which,  until  the  time  of 
vintage,  are  closely  watched  by  sentinels,  who  build 
booths  upon  the  spot."  The  grapes  are  trodden  in  the 
wine-press  by  the  feet  of  slaves.'  Oil  is  pressed  from 
the  olive  by  slave-labor  also.*  Next  above  this  may  be 
ranked  the  menial  labor  of  the  women,  who  grind  the 
grain  for  household  use  between  two  stones.''  Then 
there  are  the  different  varieties  of  hunting,  such  as  traj)- 
ping '  and  snaring,'  or  the  chase  projser,*  and  the  barter 
that  springs  from  these  occupations.*  This  is  facilitated 
by  the  traveling  caravans,"  which  bring  treasures  of  man- 
iifactures  or  precious  stones  and  metals.  Perhaps  there 
are  no  mines  in  Uz  ;  but  travelers"  are  able  to  tell  how 
gold  is  washed  from  the  streams  of  Ojihir,"  and  hoAV  this 
metal,  as  well  as  silver,"  copper,"  and  iron  "  (wrought  or 
bar,  not  cast-iron)  are  won  with  daring  and  persevering 
toil  from  the  heart  of  the  rocks.  Brass  too  is  made  and 
formed  into  pipes,^®  and  skillful  workmen  shape  vessels 
not  only  of  pottery,"  but  also  of  glass  and  gold,  or  jewelry 
set  with  sapphire,  onyx,  rock-crystal,  corals  and  pearls 
from  the  sea,  or  the  famous  topaz  of  Ethiopia.'*  Some  of 
these  gems  are  cut  as  seals."  They  are  bought  with  gold 
and  silver  weighed  in  the  balances  *" — a  rude  form  of 
money.  Humbler  metallurgists,  yet  more  useful  in  their 
art,  make  kettles  "  which  will  stand  fire.  "Weavers  "  pre- 
pare woolen  goods  from  the  fleece,"'  and  sacks  of  skin  or 
cloth  are  sewn  and  patched  to  hold  water,  goods,  or  valu- 
able documents."     For  books  are  not  unknown,"  though 

'  xxiv.  G.  2  xxvii.  18.  »  xxiv.  11.  *  xxiv.  11.  ^  xxxi.  10;  xli.  24. 
«  xviii.  9.  'v.  5,  etc.  8x11.2,  etc.  «  ii.  4.  '»vi.  18.  "xxi.  29.  '^  ^xii. 
24;  xxviii.  9,  10,  15,  19.  "xxii.  25;  xxviii.  1-12.  "xxviii.  1.  '^xxviii. 
2  ;  xli.  18,  27.  "  vi.  12  ;  xli.  18,  27.  "  ii.  8,  9  ;  x.  8  ;  xli.  80.  is  xxviii.  C, 
16-20.  "xxxvlii.  14.  !">  vi.  2  ;  xxviii.  19;  xxxi.  C.  -' xli.  20.  -*  vii.  6. 
"xxxi.  20.    "  xiii.  4  ;  xiv.  17.     *'  xix.  23. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  31 

the  primitive  records,  carved  in  tlie  rocks  and  filled  with 
molten  lead,'  are  considered  more  permanent.  The  art 
of  printing,  which  makes  books  permanent  by  making 
them  numerous,  and  by  fusing  the  substance  of  their  con- 
tents into  the  consciousness  of  whole  generations,  has  not 
yet  been  dreamed  of.  Musicians  there  are,  too,  who  per- 
form upon  tabret,  harp,  and  pipe,'  or  sound  the  trumpet 
in  battle.^  Surgery  and  physic  are  but  little  practised. 
The  blind,  the  lame,  and  the  diseased  *  are  considered  as 
smitten  by  fate,  and  objects  for  charity  rather  than  cure. 
Wounds  are  bound  up  ;  ^  but  dislocations  and  fractures 
are  apparently  deemed  beyond  help.* 

Turning  to  the  laws,  institutions,  and  customs,  we  see 
that  society  is  divided  into  ranks,  partly  if  not  wholly 
hereditary.  Kings,  who  lead  their  subjects  to  battle, 
princes,  nobles,  counselors,  judges,  prove  the  existence  of 
some  settled  government.''  Courts  are  called  by  notice 
given  ;  *  criminals  are  arrested  ;  complaints  are  heard  ; 
lawsuits  are  conducted  concerning  disj^uted  inheritances  ;' 
the  magistrate,  sitting  in  the  gate,  makes  summary  judg- 
ments ;  *"  witnesses  testify  ; "  sureties  are  offered  for  ac- 
cused parties  ;  "  accusers  present  their  charges  in  wi'it- 
ing  ; "  the  prison  '^  and  the  stocks  '^  await  the  condemned, 
or  capital  punishment  is  inflicted  with  the  sword."  In 
civil  suits  restitution  is  enforced  ; "  and,  where  the  law 
does  not  inflict  due  penalty  upon  those  who  technically 
escape  its  hand,  the  citizens  in  the  market-place  display 
their  contempt  for  the  offenders.'*  The  commonest  of 
these  legal  but  odious  acts  is  extortion  on  the  part  of 
creditors,  in  the  exaction  of  pledges  for  loans.*"     The  op- 

1  xix.  24.  2  xxi.  12  ;  xxx.  31.  ^  xxxix.  24.  •»  xxix.  15.  ^  v.  18. 
«xxxi.  22.  ''  iii.  14,  15;  ix.  15;  xii.  18,  19,  21;  xv.  24.  «  xi.  10. 
»  V.  5.  ><>  V.  4 ;  xxix.  16, 17.  "  xvi.  10.  '«  xvii.  3.  "  xxxi.  33.  ^^  xii.  14. 
^'•'  xiii.  27.    ">  xix.  21).    "  xx.  10.    '«  xxx.  28 ;  xxxi.  34.    '■*  xxii.  tt ;  xxiv.  3. 


32  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

pression  of  widows  and  orphans  is  particularly  con- 
demned ;  '  and  in  like  manner,  either  by  the  hand  of 
justice  or  the  voice  of  public  opinion,  murder,"  adul- 
tery," theft,*  cheating,^  wrong  to  slaves,*  laborers,  and 
tenants,'  inhospitality,"  and  licentiousness,*  are  branded 
as  sins.  Yet  the  tone  of  society  seems  to  be  demoralized. 
The  judges  are  bribed  by  the  rich  to  wrong  the  poor  ; '" 
the  sins  denounced  in  public  are  practised  secretly  ;  slaves 
are  cruelly  wronged  ;  the  victims  of  power  are  oppressed; 
men  admire  and  are  fain  to  imitate  the  successful  tyrant." 
Violence  is  not  restrained ;  every  man  is  obliged  to  watch 
his  own  fields  and  dwelling  against  lurking  robbers,'*  or 
call  on  his  friends  to  help  him  repel  their  assaults,"  un- 
less, like  Job,  he  is  suddenly  overwhelmed  by  them.'* 
The  aborigines  emerge  from  their  hiding-places  to  rejoice 
in  the  misfortunes  of  their  conquerors  ;  '^  and,  when  a 
powerful  villain  is  overthrown,  all  his  former  victims  are 
as  fierce  for  vengeance  as  they  had  been  tame  under  in- 
jury." Self-defense  being  thus  to  a  great  extent  in  the 
hands  of  the  individual,  it  is  but  natural  that  charity 
should  be  an  individual  matter  also."  The  society  which 
has  not  thoroughly  organized  justice  is  not  likely  to  have 
organized  beneficence. 

The  presence  of  walled  cities  '*  is  proof  that  enemies 
from  surrounding  lands  make  occasional  incursions  into 
Uz.  Not  only  the  Saboean  robber  tribes,'*  but  the  disci- 
])lined  armies  of  Chaldea,*"  have  made  the  inhabitants 
familiar  with  warfare.  They  have  seen  sieges  laid,"' 
breaches  stormed,"  and  cities  reduced  to  heaps  of  ruins,** 

'  xxiv.  21;  xxxi.  IG.  '^  xxiv.  14.  '  xxiv.  15;  xxxi.  9.  '' xxiv.  14. 
^  xxxi.  Y.  "xxxi.  13.  ■"  xxxi.  39.  ^xxxi.  IG,  21.  «xxxi.  1.  '"xxxi.  21. 
"  xxi.  33.  '2  xi.  18.  >3  y\  03.  '*  i.  15,  17.  ''  xxx.  9-11.  i"  xx.  22. 
"  xxix.  12,  etc.  '8v.  4;  xvi.  14;  xix.  12.  •«  i.  15.  »«  i.  17.  "  xix. 
12.     *2xvi.  14.     23  XV.  28. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  33 

They  are  familiar  with  military  service,  with  enlistment/ 
with  marches,  camps,  and  battle.  Arrows,''  sometimes 
tipped  with  poison  that  carries  madness,'  shields,* 
swords,*  spears,"  coats  of  mail,'  the  terrible  war-horse,^ 
doubtless  harnessed  to  the  scythed  chariot — these  are 
known  to  them  from  vivid  experience.  They  have  seen 
captives  made  slaves  ;  *  and  they  have  noted  how  famine 
and  pestilence  "  follow  in  the  track  of  war. 

Of  scientific  knowledge  the  dwellers  in  this  land  have 
comparatively  little,  and  that  little  is  mixed  with  super- 
stitions. Eclipses  they  do  not  calculate,  as  the  Chinese 
and  the  Chaldeans  have  done  for  five  hundred  years. 
On  the  contrary,  they  regard  them  with  fear,"  and  asso- 
ciate with  them,  whether  in  full  belief,  or  as  a  reminis- 
cence of  a  former  belief,  the  idea  of  a  great  monster, 
Rahab,"  which  devours  sun  and  moon  for  a  time,  and 
thus  causes  the  eclipse.  This  monster  has  been  overcome 
and  prisoned  as  a  constellation  in  the  sky  by  the  power 
of  God  ;  yet  it  is  still  to  some  extent  obedient  to  the 
skilled  astrologer.  The  flying  servient  is  another  mon- 
ster, conquered  by  God  and  banished  to  the  sky.''  They 
believe  in  starry  influences  ;  "  Orion  they  associate  with 
winter,  the  Pleiads  with  the  vernal  equinox  ;  "  these, 
as  well  as  the  Bear  '"  and  the  signs  of  the  zodiac,*'  are 
conducted  through  the  heavens  by  the  Divine  hand. 
Time  is  reckoned  by  the  moon  **  and  the  seasons,'*  and 
thus  by  years,  as  well  as  by  the  daily  rising  and  setting 
of  the  sun.  The  earth  is  believed  to  be  a  flat  disk,  sur- 
rounded by  the  broad  band  of  the  sea.  The  dawn  takes 
hold,  as  it  were,  of  the  edges  of  this  disk,  and  day  ir- 

*  vii.  1.  '^  xvi.  12;  xx.  25;  xxxix.  23.  ^  vi.  4.  ^  xiii.  12,  xv.  26. 
*  i.  15  ;  xxxix.  22.  ^  xxxix.  23.  ''  xli.  26.  *  xxxix.  20,  25.  » iii.  18. 
">  xxvii.  14,  15.  "  iii.  5.  ''  iii.  8  ;  xxvi.  12.  "^xvi.  13.  "xxxviii.  31, 
33.     '^ix.  tt;  xxxviii.  31.     'Mx.  9.    "  xxxviii.  32.    '^iii.  6.    '^xxxviii.  32. 


34  TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

radiates  the  whole  earth  at  once.'  Beneath  it  are  pil- 
lars, which  stand  upon  nothing '  in  the  dim  shade  of  the 
under  world.'  There  arc  gathered  the  almost  imper- 
sonal shadows  of  the  dead  ;  *  thither  go  the  clouds  that 
disappear  behind  the  horizon  ;  ^  the  gates  to  this  mys- 
terious realm  open  from  tombs  "  or  from  the  bottom  of 
the  sea/ 

The  sky  is  a  crystal  arch/  in  which  the  stars  are  set," 
and  under  which  the  clouds  are  rolled  as  a  curtain  or 
floor.'"  Through  this  arch,  mysteriously  opened  and 
closed,  the  rain  falls,  from  the  store  of  waters  abov^e  the 
Armament."  There  are  waters  also  below  the  earth,  per- 
haps in  the  under  world,  which  replenish  the  sea  through 
springs  ;  *^  but  God's  power  controls  all  these  reservoh's, 
and  keeps  the  sea  from  overflowing."  What  becomes  of 
waters  that  evaporate  no  one  knows ;  "  and  science  and 
poetry  are  alike  silent  concerniug  the  exhaustless  source 
of  the  wind."  Earthquakes,  storms,  floods,  and  all  the 
striking  phenomena  of  Natui'e,  are  ascribed  to  the  direct 
personal  action  of  God.  Besides  such  legendary  men  or 
monsters  as  Orion,  the  dragon,  and  the  flying  serpent, 
other  strange  creatures  are  believed  in,  though  never 
seen  ;  as  for  instance,  the  wonderful  bird  Phoenix,  which 
rises  to  new  life  from  the  ashes  of  its  nest." 

Turning  finally  to  the  mental  philosophy  and  religious 
life,  we  find  that  the  distinction  between  soul  and  body  ", 
the  existence  of  spirits  '*,  the  divine  origin  of  dreams  ", 
the  truth  of  the  one  God,  creator  of  all  things  and  all 
men,'"'  and  the  doctrine  of   a  disembodied  life  beyond 

'  xxvi.  10;  xxxviii.  13.  *  ix.  6  ;  xxvi.  7.  ^  xvii.  16,  etc.  *  xxvi.  5, 
0,  etc.  *  vii.  9.  *xvii.  13,  16.  '  xxxviii.  10,  17.  "xxii.  14,  etc.  ^xxii. 
12.  '"  xxvi.  8.  "  xxxviii.  8.  '^  xxxviii.  16.  '''xxxviii.  11.  "xiv.  1. 
's  xvi.  3;  xxxviii.  24.  '«  xxix.  18.  "xv.  22;  xix.  26.  'Mv.  10.  '^vii. 
14,  etc.     20  xxxi.  15,  etc. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  35 

death,*  are  so  universally  held  that  the  declaration  of 
them  rouses  neither  contradiction  nor  surj^rise.  Jeho- 
vah is  worshiped  by  sacrifice  in  the  patriarchal  mode  ; " 
priests  are  known/  but  these  are  perhaps  the  priests  of 
heathen  deities.  For  the  aborigines  as  well  as  the  sur- 
rounding tribes  are  polytheists  and  idolaters,*  and  even 
the  ruling  race  is  not  above  being  suspected  of  secretly 
paying  homage  to  the  sun  and  moon/  worshiped  in  after- 
times  as  Baal  and  Ashtaroth,  and  under  a  hundred  names 
besides.  These  heathens  are  called  habitually  "  the  fool- 
ish," *  and  distinguished  thus  from  the  wicked  who  de- 
liberately reject  God/  The  righteous  pray  to  Him  *  for 
themselves  and  for  others  ;  *  but  His  serenity  is  not  be- 
lieved to  be  affected  by  their  character  or  fate.*^'  He  is 
generally  thought  to  visit  sin  with  temporal  penalty,  and 
righteousness  with  temporal  rewards.  The  terrible  glory 
of  His  immediate  presence  no  man  can  bear ; "  yet  this 
most  intense  personality  is  blended  with  an  omnipresent 
activity  in  nature  and  history.  The  breath  in  man's  nos- 
trils," and  the  pestilence  or  drought,"  life  and  death,  alike 
and  everywhere  are  the  breath  of  God.  Pantheism  itself 
has  never  more  completely  identified  the  world  with  its 
Creator  than  does  this  early  faith.  Angels  are  recog- 
nized," but  only  as  imperfect  and  colorless  instruments 
of  the  divine  purposes.  A  spiritual  power  of  evil  is  not 
conceived — not  even  a  Satan,  like  that  of  the  prologue, 
rejoicing  in  mischief  and  sneering  at  good.  Rewards  and 
punishments  beyond  death  do  not  enter  into  the  popular 
creed.  The  orthodox  believer,  looking  upon  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  life,  considers  that  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked 


ix.  2G.  M.  5.  »  xii.  19.  *  ii.  10  ;  xxx.  8.  ^  xxxi.  26,  27.  *  ii. 
Kx.  8.  '  xxi.  14  ;  xxii.  17.  *  viii.  5  ;  xxi.  15 ;  xxiv.  12  ;  xxvii.  9, 
»xxii.  30.      '0xxiL2,  3.      "  xii  L  21,  etc.      '«  xxvii.  3.      '^iy,  9. 

11  iir     IS    otn 


»  xix.  2G 
10;  xxx.  8. 
etc. 
XV.  30.     "  iv.  18,  etc. 


36  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

is  either  unreal  and  full  of  secret  trouble,'  or  sbort-lived 
and  certain  to  end  in  disaster,''  or  that  at  all  events  his 
punishment  will  be  visited  upon  his  children/  As  for 
those  who  are  overwhelmed  with  disaster,  and  do  not  find 
relief,  they  are  undoubtedly  suffering  the  penalty  of  their 
sins,  or  at  least  of  their  j^arents'  sins.  Since  all  men  are 
sinful,  and  sorrow  often  makes  them  specially  conscious 
of  this  fact  and  willing  to  confess  it,  this  logic  has  taken 
firm  root  in  general  experience,  and  the  j^artial  truth  of  it 
has  been  adopted  as  an  axiom  in  morals,  so  that  the 
wicked,  who  doubt  it  or  disbelieve  it,  are  deemed  infidels 
and  rebels  against  God.  With  such  infidels  (namely,  evil- 
doing  unbelievers)  Job  is  confounded  by  his  friends,  in 
spite  of  his  earnest  protest  ^  to  the  contrary. 

Such  is  the  scene  chosen  by  the  poet  for  his  dramatic 
presentation  of  one  of  the  deepest  problems  which  have 
ever  agitated  the  human  mind.  Whatever  we  may  think 
of  the  Book  of  Job  in  its  moral  aspects,  or  even  in  its 
character  as  a  poem,  we  must  admit  that  it  is  singularly 
full  as  a  description  of  life  and  manners.  Few,  if  any, 
ancient  writings  contain  in  so  small  a  compass  such  wealth 
of  illustration,  such  innumerable  hints,  such  vistas  and 
glimjises  into  the  habits,  institutions,  and  beliefs  of  a 
special  age  and  country. 


IV. 

THE  PLAN  AND  PURPOSE  OF  THE  BOOK. 

Against  this  background  appear  the  figures  of  the 
drama.  The  prologue  is  laid  partly  in  heaven  and  partly 
on  earth,  and  presents  in  the  fonner  part  a  strange  vision 

>  XV.  20,  21,  etc.     ^  XX.  5,  etc.     ^  iv.  9;  xv.  30,  etc.     <xxi.  16. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  37 

of  shadowy,  undefined  angels,  and  a  pair  of  boldly  con- 
trasted characters,  clearly  drawn  in  one  feature  only  : 
Jehovah,  loving  goodness  and  believing  in  it ;  Satan, 
hating  it  and  sneering  at  it.  This,  the  deepest  moral  dis- 
tinction that  can  be  conceived,  is  here  clearly  made  for 
the  first  time  in  Scripture.  Righteousness  and  sin  are 
declared  from  the  beginning  ;  but  a  power  loving  and 
seeking  evil,  yet  subordinated  to  the  purposes  of  the 
power  loving  and  seeking  good,  is  not  recognized  by  the 
patriarchs,  or  by  Moses,  or  by  any  of  the  proj^hets  before 
the  eighth  century  b.  c.  Nor  does  this  book  apparently 
recognize,  as  many  passages  of  earlier  Scripture  seem  to 
do,  the  existence  of  other  gods  than  the  one  Supreme 
God — national  gods,  real  powers,  but  inferior  to  the  Al- 
mighty. In  the  i^rologue  He  is  spoken  of  as  Jehovah  ;  in 
the  dialogue,  except  where  He  appears  in  person,  and  in 
one  (disputed)  passage  besides,  He  is  everywhere  called 
God  ;  but  the  recognition  of  His  unity  and  sole  supremacy 
is  maintained  throughout.  I  think  this  fact  alone  is  al- 
most sufiicient  to  establish  the  Hebrew  origin  of  the  book. 
Certainly  it  is  a  formidable  objection  to  the  theory  of  a 
translation  from  some  other  literature  ;  for  it  is  one  of 
those  deep  and  pervading  peculiarities  which  a  mere 
translator  could  not  introduce,  and  which  no  other  ancient 
literature  with  which  we  are  acquainted  could  supply. 
Taken  in  connection  with  the  blended  intense  personality 
and  omnipresent  direct  activity  attributed  to  the  one  God, 
it  constitutes  a  critical  proof  of  the  strongest  character 
that  the  Book  of  Job,  though  containing  views  of  life  and 
Providence  not  found  in  the  earlier  Scriptures,  is  the 
legitimate  successor  of  those  Scriptures,  proceeding  from 
the  same  national  mind  and  spirit,  under  the  stimulus  of 
the  same  line  of  progressive  inspiration  and  revelation  of 
truth. 


38  TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

The  earthly  scenes  of  the  prologue  show  us  the  pious 
and  prosperous  Job,  and  sketch  with  few  but  powerful 
touches  his  wealth,  his  family  relations  and  life,  his  suc- 
cessive afflictions,  and  his  noble  patience.  AVith  this  pic- 
ture of  him  the  revelation  of  his  character  brought  out  in 
the  succeeding  dialogue  is,  at  first  sight,  scarcely  in  har- 
mony. Instead  of  a  dignified,  pious,  and  uncomplaining 
sufferer,  we  have  a  wi'etched  victim  of  pain  and  despair, 
crying,  out  against  his  fate  and  its  Author,  reciting  his 
symptoms,  and  begging  his  friends  to  pity  him.  But  this 
apparent  inconsistency  is  explained  by  a  closer  study.  It 
must  be  remembered,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  conven- 
tional heroism  which  endures  bodily  pain  in  silence  is  not 
that  of  the  ancients.  The  warriors  of  Homer  howl  and 
weep  when  they  are  wounded,  or  even  disappointed.  In 
the  second  place,  the  great  patience  of  Job  was  shown 
(according  to  the  story  in  the  j^rologue)  through  a  long 
series  of  unexamjjled  trials  ;  and  it  is  upon  this  story, 
based,  as  it  probably  is,  on  the  actual  experience  of  the 
historic  Job,  that  his  reputation  for  patience  rests,  rather 
than  upon  his  speeches  in  the  drama.  In  the  third  jilacc, 
the  dramatist  has  but  one  way  of  showing  the  emotions 
of  his  characters,  namely,  by  their  own  words  and  acts. 
He  cannot  explain  in  running  comments,  as  the  author  of 
a  narrative  might  do,  the  workings  of  their  minds  ;  at 
least,  he  cannot  do  it  without  using  devices  which  the 
author  of  Job  does  not  employ,  such,  for  instance,  as  the 
Greek  chorus,  or  the  prologue  and  interludes  of  the  Eliza- 
bethan age.  Hence  the  chai*acters  of  a  play  necessarily 
tell  more  about  tliemselves  than  do  people  in  real  life  and 
ordinary  conversation  ;  and  this  is  the  case  with  Job, 
whose  passionate  addresses  and  soliloquies  are  descriptions 
of  the  struggles  of  his  soul,  in  the  climax  of  trouble,  and 
shaken  from  its  equipoise  by  bodily  agony.    Finally,  how- 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  39 

ever,  if  we  look  deeper  than  the  mere  ejaculations  and 
complaints  which  modern  taste  would  condemn,  we  find 
a  sturdy  heroism  in  tlie  consistent  attitude  maintained  by 
Job  throughout  the  debate.  He  mil  not  deny  his  integ- 
rity, though  sorely  pressed.  He  is  like  a  martyr  uj)on  the 
rack,  who  wTithes  and  groans  without  attempting  to  sup- 
press these  evidences  of  weakness,  but  refuses  steadfastly, 
nevertheless,  to  confess  to  a  falsehood. 

The  three  friends  are  represented  with  some  individual 
differences  of  character,  particularly  in  the  case  of  Eli- 
phaz,  who,  as  the  eldest  and  wisest,  takes  the  lead,  and  is 
rather  echoed  than  assisted  by  the  others.  It  is  easy  to 
see  that  the  main  purpose  of  the  author  is  to  make  them 
the  mouth-pieces  of  certain  doctrines  which  Job  confutes, 
and  the  types  of  a  spirit  which  God  condemns.  The  grad- 
ual passage,  in  their  successive  speeches,  from  well-mean- 
ing but  meddling  zeal  to  personal  resentment,  from  empty 
cant  to  vulgar  anger,  is  admirably  shown,  and  remains  to- 
day a  scathing  satire  upon  those  who  attempt  to  "  im- 
prove "  the  providences  of  Gocl  for  the  benefit  of  suffering 
friends,  and  regard  a  refusal  to  accept  their  advice  and 
consolation  as  sure  evidence  of  an  unregenerate  spirit. 

After  Job  has  silenced  the  three  friends  (Zophar  hav- 
ing failed  to  speak  at  all  when  his  turn  came),  and  per- 
haps after  the  speech  of  Elihu  also,  Jehovah  is  repre- 
sented as  closing  the  discussion  by  appearing  in  a  majestic 
thunder-storm  and  addressing  to  Job  a  sublime  statement 
of  the  Divine  power  and  wisdom,  as  displayed  in  the  crea- 
tion and  administration  of  the  imiverse,  and  a  stern  re- 
buke, before  which  Job  bows  in  humility  and  repentance. 
Then,  in  the  epilogue,  the  three  friends  are  visited  with 
yet  severer  condemnation,  and  pardoned  upon  Job's  in- 
tercession (a  beautiful  touch  of  poetic  retribution),  and 
Job  is  restored  to  double  prosperity.     The  book  begins 


40  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

and  ends  with  tlic  simple  narrative  of  fact  or  legend 
around  which  its  mighty  structure  of  mingled  drama  and 
dogma  has  been  built. 

Turning  now  to  the  didactic  element  in  this  composi- 
tion, we  find  almost  as  many  theories  as  commentators 
concerning  the  truths  it  was  intended  to  teach.  Of  these 
I  select  four  for  special  mention,  as  presenting  the  most 
important  views  which  have  been  taken — namely,  those 
of  Hengstenberg,  Ewald,  Froude,  and  Conant.' 

All  agree  that  the  subject  of  debate  between  Job  and 
his  friends  is  the  method  and  meaning  of  God's  providen- 
tial dealings  with  man,  and  that  in  this  debate  both  parties 
lay  themselves  open  to  the  Divine  rebuke  ;  but  precisely 
what  is  thus  reproved  and  forgiven,  and  what  is  the 
moral  of  the  whole,  are  questions  upon  which  expositors 
do  not  agree. 

Hengstenberg  may  be  taken  as  the  representative  of 
the  theological  interj^reters.  "With  many  others,  who 
follow  his  view  more  or  less  closely,  he  believes  the  book 
to  be  an  inspired  soul-history  of  Job,  and  typical  of  the 
soul-history  of  all  afflicted  believers  whose  goodness  has 
become  a  snare  to  thera,  by  leading  them  to  self -righ- 
teousness. Job,  he  says,  was  righteous  in  his  own  eyes, 
and  his  anger,  roused  by  the  accusations  of  his  friends, 
Avho  falsely  imputed  to  him  specific  crimes,  fired  him  to 
blasphemous  accusations  of  God  besides.  The  friends 
were  right  in  attributing  his  sufferings  to  his  guilt,  but 
wrong  in  their  uncharitable  and  unfounded  specifications 
of  that  guilt.     It  is  Elihu  who  brings  out  the  truth  that 

•  For  excellent  statements  and  refutations  of  the  first  two,  and  an  elo- 
quent presentation  of  the  last,  see  Conant's  "  Introduction,"  already  cited. 
Froude's  view,  largely  based  on  Ewald's  commentary,  but  somewhat 
different  in  its  standpoint,  is  found  in  his  essay  on  the  Book  of  Job, 
cited  above. 


TUE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  41 

Job's  chastisements  were  needed  for  his  salvation.  This 
Job  receives  with  the  silence  of  conviction,  and  is  after- 
ward thoroughly  humbled  by  the  presentation  of  the 
Divine  greatness  and  glory  ;  Avhereupon  he  is  forgiven, 
and,  having  entered  by  repentance  into  a  much  more  in- 
timate relation  with  God  than  before,  is  privileged  to 
forgive  and  intercede  for  his  friends. 

This  view  is  carried  still  further  in  the  hands  of 
homiletic  commentators.'  Job  is  pronounced  to  have 
been  a  "  mere  moralist "  at  the  beginning,  and  the  steps 
by  which  he  passed  through  all  the  stages  of  an  orthodox 
conviction  and  conversion  are  traced  in  the  text,  by  the 
simple  method  of  selecting  and  emphasizing  suitable 
sentences,  by  interjareting  poetry  as  if  it  were  cool  theo- 
logical statement,  and  by  ignoring  the  explicit  contradic- 
tions which  numerous  passages,  as  well  as  the  whole 
spirit  of  the  book,  oppose  to  such  a  forced  construction. 
In  a  previous  chapter  I  have  pointed  out  how  untenable 
is  this  theory  as  regards  the  speech  of  Elihu.  It  is  dis- 
proved also  by  the  prologue,  which  distinctly  declares 
that  the  object  of  Job's  affliction  was  to  prove  his  good- 
ness, in  response  to  a  challenge  from  Satan.  The  notion 
that  the  drama  was  intended  to  depict  "  the  conversion 
of  Job  "  does  not  arise  from  the  sacred  text,  but  has 
been  injected  into  it  by  those  who  read  with  precon- 
ceived determination  to  find  in  every  pai't  of  the  Bible 
the  doctrines  which  Christian  philosoi^hers  of  one  or  an- 
other school  have  excogitated  and  systematized.  Equally 
audacious  is  the  attempt  to  define  the  sin  of  the  three 
friends  as  that  of  mistaken  and  uncharitable  accusation 

'  Among  whom,  as  one  of  the  most  recent,  may  be  named  an  Ameri- 
can author.  Prof.  Green,  of  Princeton.  The  learning  and  the  fervent 
Christian  spirit  of  his  book  on  Job  do  not  remove  the  objections  here 
brought  against  the  conception  on  which  it  is  based. 


42  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

only,  in  tlie  face  of  the  Divine  declaration '  that  they 
liad  misrepresented,  not  Job  merely,  but  God.  And 
finally  (not  to  mention  a  crowd  of  weighty  objections), 
this  theory  asserts  that  the  problem  of  Providence  stated 
by  Job  is  solved  in  the  book  ;  and  yet  the  solution  which 
it  claims  to  have  found  is  not  only  insufficient  to  explain 
the  suffering  of  the  righteous,  but  does  not  touch  at  all 
the  other  half  of  the  difficulty,  namely,  the  prosperity  of 
the  wicked. 

The  view  of  Ewald  is  also  deficient  in  this  respect  ; 
but  it  is  far  nobler  and  more  consonant  with  the  spirit 
and  letter  of  the  book.  According  to  him.  Job  feels  the 
current  notions  of  the  inseparable  connection  of  sin  and 
suffering,  virtue  and  prosperity,  inadequate  to  explain  his 
own  affliction,  and,  unable  to  find  grounds  in  himself  why 
he  should  be  thus  treated,  falls  into  a  terrible  conflict 
with  doubt  and  despair,  from  which  he  emerges  victori- 
ous, under  the  inspiration  of  strength  gathered  from  a 
spiritual  recognition  of  God  and  a  fore-glimpse  of  immor- 
tality, "  the  great  reconciling  truth  amid  the  antagonisms 
and  contradictions  of  the  earthly  life."  "^ 

I  cannot  here  pursue  into  detail  this  ingenious  and 
subtile  theory.  Its  ingenuity  and  subtilty  are  indeed 
among  the  marks  of  its  unsoundness.  That  this  drama 
was  intended  to  show  the  necessary  jjlace  of  evil  in  God's 
government,  its  true  function  in  rousing  the  spirit  from 
sluggishness  into  a  higher  consciousness,  training  man  to 
fortitude  and  to  faith  in  an  immortal  future,  one  can 
scarcely  believe,  even  while  reading  Ewald 's  translation 
with  Ewald's  commentary.  Without  these  the  unbiased 
reader  would  not  suspect  it.  As  I  have  remarked  above, 
the  prospei'ity  of  the  godless  is  a  part  of  the  problem.    It 

'  Cliiip.  xlii.  '7.     '^  Conant's  "  lulioductiou,"  p.  xvi. 


TEE  BOOK   OF  JOB.  43 

is  indeed  discussed  at  greater  length  than  the  correlative 
question  of  the  affliction  of  the  righteous  ;  but  Ewald's 
theory  of  a  solution  loaves  it  out. 

Again,  the  conception  of  Job,  as  led  step  by  step 
through  the  outward  and  inward  conflicts  here  depicted, 
to  higher  views,  and  finally  to  the  discovery  of  immor- 
tality, is  not  sustained  by  a  fair  construction  of  the  book. 
The  famous  passage  beginning,  "I  know  that  my  Re- 
deemer liveth,"  which  Ewald  considers  the  climax  of  the 
drama,  a  sort  of  trumpet  note  of  victory,  is  evidently  not 
that,  whatever  else  it  may  be.  Its  doctrine  of  a  life  be- 
yond the  grave  and  outside  of  the  earthly  body '  is,  as 
Conant  well  says,  a  "  recognition,"  not  a  discovery.  It 
does  not  produce  surprise  or  attract  attention  from  the 
other  speakers.  It  is  not  alluded  to  by  Jehovah.  It  is 
not  even  advanced  by  Job  as  a  sufficient  solution  of  his 
perplexities.  Nor  is  it,  in  fact,  a  solution.  The  statement 
tliat  there  is  a  future  life,  in  which  the  injustice  of  human 
fates  in  this  life  will  be  rectified,  does  not,  taken  by  itself, 
explain  why  such  injustice  should  be  permitted  here  by 
an  almighty  and  equitable  God. 

With  this  imperfect  notice  of  the  character  and  defects 
of  Ewald's  view,  I  pass  to  consider  with  equal  brevity 
that  of  Mr.  Froude.  According  to  him.  Job  grandly  pro- 
tests against  the  "  Calvinistic  "  view  of  his  innate  deprav- 
ity which  his  friends  put  forward,  and  remains  to  the  end 
a  champion  of  his  own  innocence  ;  but  step  by  step  he  is 
brought  to  realize  that  outward  happiness  is  not  the 
object  of  life  nor  the  true  reward  of  virtue.  Mr.  Froude 
uses  this  interpretation  as  a  text  for  a  vigorous  attack 

'  Chap.  xix.  20  :  "  And  without  my  flesh  shall  I  sec  God."  King 
James's  version  here,  as  all  scholars  now  agree,  gives  a  meaning  exactly 
oi)posed  to  that  of  the  original.  Sec  remarks  in  the  notes,  following  the 
paraphrase. 


44  TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

iij)on  Calvinism,  and  u])on  the  sordid  view  of  life  and 
duty  whicb  perpetually  links  goodness  with  its  reward. 
His  theory  has  the  merit  of  connecting  logically  the  pro- 
logue with  the  drama.  To  be  willing  to  "serve  God  for 
naught "  (in  the  sneering  words  of  Satan)  is  the  lesson 
Avhich  Job  is,  on  this  view,  represented  as  learning  through 
his  suffering  ;  and,  when  he  has  conceived  and  accepted 
this,  he  is  victorious  over  his  own  despair,  as  he  had  been 
victorious  by  the  strength  of  his  innocence  over  his  slan- 
derous critics.  The  following  passage  from  Mr.  Froude's 
essay  is  acute  and  just  : 

"  It  will  have  occurred  to  every  one  that  the  secret 
which  has  been  revealed  to  the  reader  is  not,  after  all, 
revealed  to  Job  or  his  friends,  and  for  this  plain  reason  : 
the  burden  of  the  drama  is,  not  that  we  do,  but  that  we 
do  not,  and  cannot,  know  the  mystery  of  the  government 
of  the  world  ;  that  it  is  not  for  man  to  seek  it,  or  for  God 
to  reveal  it.  We,  the  readers,  are,  in  this  one  instance, 
admitted  behind  the  scenes — for  once,  in  this  single  case 
— because  it  was  necessary  to  meet  the  received  theory  by 
a  positive  fact  which  contradicted  it.  But  the  explana- 
tion of  one  case  need  not  be  the  explanation  of  another  ; 
our  business  is  to  do  what  we  know  to  be  right,  and  ask 
no  questions." 

This  is  an  admirable  statement,  so  far  as  it  goes,  of 
the  moral  of  the  Book  of  Job.  In  many  details  of  his 
exposition,  however,  Mr.  Froude  has  too  easily  assumed 
as  settled  })roi)ositions  which  are,  to  say  the  least,  still 
open  to  debate  ; '  and  the  whole  of  his  essay  is  too  con- 
troversial and  too  modern  (if  I  may  so  say)  to  be  accepted 
as  a  simple,  objective  study  of  its  nominal  subject.     Not 

'  See  the  articles  on  Job  in  Sinitli's  "  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,"  aud 
Alexander's  "  Kilto'ri  Biblical  Cyclopaedia." 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  45 

less  really,  though  less  violently  and  offensively,  than  the 
school  of  Hengstenberg,  he  forges  the  Book  of  Job  into  a 
weapon  with  which  to  do  battle  for  opinions  which  have 
entered  human  consciousness  in  later  times. 

The  view  of  Dr.  Conant  deserves  to  be  fully  studied 
in  his  "  Introduction."  The  subject  of  the  book,  he  says, 
is  the  mystery  of  God's  providential  government  of  men, 
and  this  subject  is  treated  in  two  ways  :  first,  by  an  ex- 
hibition of  the  difficulties  which  it  presents  to  tlie  finite 
mind  ;  and  secondly,  by  showing  man's  true  position,  in 
reference  to  the  ways  of  the  Eternal  and  Infinite.  The 
first  division  shows  a  man,  pronounced  perfect  and  up- 
right by  God  himself,  suffering  under  sudden  and  texTible 
afflictions.  His  three  friends  represent  the  traditionary 
wisdom  of  their  times,  according  to  which  the  fate  of 
Job  is  the  true  index  of  his  moral  character.  Hence 
their  addresses  all  pursue  one  object,  to  move  him  to 
confession,  repentance,  and  the  acknowledgment  that  he 
is  justly  afflicted.  Job,  on  the  other  hand,  conscious  of 
rectitude,  repels  their  inferences,  and  confutes  by  an  ap- 
peal to  notorious  facts  their  philosophy  of  Providence. 
Elihu  (whose  speech  Conant  regards  as  genuine)  presents 
another  view  of  affliction,  as  the  chastisement  of  a  father 
seeking  to  win  back  an  erring  child  :  an  asj^ect,  as  this 
commentator  remarks,  "  true  and  valuable  in  itself,  and 
necessary  to  a  complete  view  of  the  subject,  but  as  far  as 
that  of  the  three  friends  from  solving  the  problem  under 
discussion.  Indeed,  it  seems  to  be  treated  "  (judging  from 
the  silence  with  which  it  is  passed  over)  "  as  something 
aside  from  the  main  issue,  which  respects  simply  the  jus- 
tice and  equity  of  the  Divine  government." 

In  the  second  part  (the  speech  of  the  Almighty), 
"  from  the  perplexed  labyrinth  of  human  life,  which  Job 
has  vainly  sought  to  comprehend,  he  is  taken  into  the 


4G  TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

serene  order  and  grandeur  of  the  material  universe.  .  .  . 
Here,  tlien,  in  the  vast  system  of  Nature  and  Providence, 
in  its  evidences  of  infinite  power,  wisdom,  and  goodness, 
of  counsels  unsearchable  and  ways  past  finding  out,  is 
furnished  the  answer  to  the  rash  questionings  of  Job. 
Shall  he,  whose  life  is  a  span,  whose  place  in  the  universe 
is  but  a  point,  who  cannot  understand  the  laws  of  the 
material  world,  nor  fathom  the  mysteries  of  the  least  of 
God's  works,  claim  to  comprehend  and  judge  the  eternal 
counsels  of  His  moral  government  ?  " 

The  doctrine  of  the  book  is  declared  by  Conant  to  be 
that  the  aj^parently  arbitrary  distribution  of  the  good 
and  evil  of  this  life  is  not  the  result  of  chance  or  caprice  ; 
that  the  government  of  the  world  belongs  to  Him  who 
created  it ;  that  to  know  this  is  enough  for  man  ;  that 
more  than  this  he  cannot  know,  since  God  cannot  impart 
to  him  what  he  cannot  comprehend  ;  and  that  man's  true 
position  is  implicit  trust  in  God  and  submission  to  His 
Avill. 

This  view  seems  to  me  most  in  harmony  with  the 
text  and  spirit  of  the  book,  and  it  has  been  adopted  as 
the  basis  of  the  present  interpretation.  But  Dr.  Conant 
must  not  be  held  responsible  for  the  form  which  his  ex\)o- 
eition  may  assume  in  other  hands.  Perhaps  the  amplifi- 
cations which  will  be  given  to  it  may  seem  to  its  author 
unAvarrantable  changes. 

To  attempt,  then,  an  independent,  though  not  wholly 
an  original  statement  of  the  plan  and  purpose  of  this 
book,  let  us  first  define  more  precisely  the  notions  of 
Providence  and  of  sin  which  underlie  it.  Neither  all 
God's  dealings  with  man,  nor  all  man's  shoi'tcomings  tow- 
ard God,  are  here  made  subjects  of  dispute.  The  provi- 
dences referred  to  are  those  events  which  cannot  be 
traced  to  the  actions  of    their  objects  as   a  proximate 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  47 

cause  :  in  a  word,  what  we  still  hear  of  as  "  visitations  " 
of  Providence,  whether  in  blessing  or  in  trouble.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  sins  described,  discussed,  and  imputed 
in  the  debate  are  outbreaking,  coarse,  one  might  say  vul- 
gar, sins ;  not  the  subtile  errors  of  spiritual  life,  or  the 
evil  taints  and  tendencies  of  inherited  character.  When 
Mr.  Froude  talks  of  Job  as  uttering  a  noble  protest 
against  Calvinism,  he  does  violence  to  the  simple  story. 
It  would  be  more  reasonable  to  say  that  Job,  by  his  re- 
peated admission  of  mortal  imperfection,  confesses  Cal- 
vinism. But  a  fair  construction  leaves  the  Calvinistic 
formula  out  of  the  question.  A  man  accused  of  being  a 
blasphemer,  liar,  thief,  adulterer,  swindler,  and  tyrant, 
may  be  pemiitted  to  say,  "  Being  mortal,  I  cannot  claim 
perfect  purity,  but  I  am  upright  and  innocent,"  without 
committing  himself  to  either  side  of  the  controversy  con- 
cerning the  philosophy  of  sin.  Job's  friends  do  not  fall 
back  on  any  Calvinistic  theories  ;  they  do  not  mean  that 
Job  is  a  sinner  in  any  sense  in  which  they  too  would  be 
counted  sinners  :  when  they  charge  him  with  anything, 
it  is  with  crimes. 

The  subject  of  the  book  being  "  the  mystery  of  God's 
providential  government  of  men,"  it  seems  to  have  been 
the  purpose  of  the  author  to  state  all  the  current  notions 
on  the  subject,  and  (through  the  mouth  of  Job)  demon- 
strate their  inadequacy ;  to  give  at  the  same  time,  as  it 
were,  in  confidence  to  his  reader,  the  explanation  of  Job's 
special  case  ;  but,  finally,  to  indicate  that  the  Divine  pur- 
pose in  each  case  is  not  revealed  to  man,  and  that  the 
Divine  government  in  matters  of  direct  blessing  and  ca- 
lamity is  part  and  parcel  of  the  administration  of  the 
universe,  which  the  finite  mind  cannot  hope  to  grasp  ; 
but  that  the  good  man  will  receive  in  resignation  the 
events  of  life,  neither  claiming  prosperity  as  the  payment 


48  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

of  his  virtue  nor  suspecting  God  of  injustice  or  anger 
when  prosperity  is  withdrawn. 

Thus  we  find  in  the  prologue  the  statement  that  the 
real  reason  of  Job's  afflictions  (never  made  known  to  him) 
was  to  test  his  disinterested  goodness,  and  that  Satan  was 
the  agent,  under  the  permission  of  the  Almighty. 

Then  we  have  the  theory  of  the  three  friends,  that 
Job's  calamities  were  the  consequence  and  measure  of  his 
crimes.  To  this  Elihu  perhaps  adds  (or  expresses  more 
distinctly)  the  idea  that  these  calamities  are  mercifully 
intended  to  work  repentance  and  restoration. 

Job's  theory  is  that  he  has  committed  no  sin  wor- 
thy of  such  punishment  ;  that  the  world  is  full  of  sim- 
ilar apparent  contradictions  ;  that  God  is,  in  his  case, 
fully  aware  of  his  innocence,  and  would  acquit  him  if  He 
would  only  consider  the  matter  judicially — loill  acquit 
him,  indeed,  some  day,  though,  alas  !  too  late  perhaps  for 
earthly  vindication  ;  but  that,  for  the  present,  God  is  in- 
explicably angry  with  him. 

Jehovah  is  represented  as  severely  condemning  the 
friends  for  their  fundamental  misrepresentation  of  Him, 
and  presumably  also,  though  not  explicitly,  for  their 
canting,  uncharitable  accusation  of  Job.  But  Job  also  is 
rebuked,  not  for  maintaining  his  innocence,  but  for  assum- 
ing that,  since  his  sufferings  are  not  the  penalty  of  crime, 
they  must  be  the  work  of  Divine,  unreasoning  anger ; ' 
and  by  a  wonderful  vision  of  scenes  and  creatures  not 
subject  to  man  or  directly  connected  with  his  needs,  and 
not  understood  by  him.  Job  is  taught  that  in  the  vast 
universe  administered  by  God  there  may  be  reasons  many 
for  the  fate  which  befalls  the  individual  creature. 

The  author  appears  to  have  felt  a  dim  foreshadowing 

'  xl.  8.      Wilt  thou  condemn  me,  that  thou  maycst  be  riffhteoun  / 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  49 

of  what  we  should  now  call  "  the  reign  of  law  "  through- 
out creation,  though  to  his  mind  it  was  simply  the  per- 
sonal and  immediate  reign  of  God.  He  had,  as  we  shall 
see,  no  thought  of  many  other  partial  solutions  of  his 
great  problem  which  revelation  and  science  have  put  for- 
ward since  his  time  ;  but  he  grasped  more  clearly  than 
his  predecessors  the  truth  that  almighty  wisdom  is  able 
to  manage  the  world  so  that  "  all  things  "  shall  "  work 
together."  The  personal  history  of  Job  could  be  at  once 
the  product  of  a  general  administration  and  of  a  special 
purpose. 

To  sum  up  in  a  few  words,  the  author  seems  to  have 
clothed  in  dramatic  forms  a  train  of  thought  something 
like  this  :  The  current  notion  that  calamity  is  always  the 
punishment  of  crime,  and  prosperity  always  the  reward  of 
piety,  is  not  true.  Neither  is  it  true  that  the  distress  of  a 
righteous  man  is  an  indication  of  God's  anger.  There  are 
other  purposes  in  the  Divine  mind  of  which  we  know 
nothing.  For  instance,  a  good  man  may  be  afflicted,  by 
permission  of  God,  and  through  the  agency  of  Satan,  to 
prove  the  genuine  character  of  his  goodness.  But  whether 
this,  or  some  other  reason,  involved  in  the  administration 
of  the  universe,  underlies  the  dispensation  of  temporal 
blessings  and  afflictions,  one  thing  is  certain  :  the  plans 
of  God  are  not,  will  not  be,  cannot  be  revealed  ;  and  tlie 
resignation  of  faith,  not  of  fatalism,  is  the  only  wisdom 
of  man. 


50  TUE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

V. 

THE  PLACE  OF  THE  BOOK  11^  PROGRESSIVE  REVELATION. 

The  progressive  character  of  revelation  in  the  Bible  is 
a  truth  not  sufficiently  realized  by  readers,  though  it  is 
receiving  continually  a  wider  recognition/  The  test  of 
the  truth  at  every  step  of  this  progress  is  not  that  it  is 
complete,  but  that  it  lies  in  the  line  of  divinely  guided 
development,  so  that  at  each  succeeding  stage  it  needs, 
not  to  be  destroyed,  but  to  be  fulfilled.  The  conception 
of  God,  not  only,  but  with  it  also  the  conception  of  every 
grace  and  virtue,  of  right  and  duty,  of  responsibility  and 
immortality,  is  steadily  developed  from  age  to  age,  until 
Christ  fulfills  all.  Even  the  teachings  of  Christ  are  un- 
folding perpetually  new  fruits  of  spiritual  meaning  and 
power,  in  the  experience  of  His  saints. 

It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  crude  and  par- 
tial forms  of  truth  are  peculiar  not  merely  to  certain 
periods  of  history,  but  to  crude  natures  in  all  ages.  Thus, 
in  the  time  of  the  Saviour,  people  still  held  the  early 
notion  that  suffering  is  the  penalty  of  sin,  and  debated 
whether  it  were,  in  a  given  case,  the  sin  of  the  sufferer  or 
of  his  parents,  although  the  Book  of  Job,  centuries  befoi'e, 
had  exposed  the  inadequacy  of  such  a  view.  The  saci-ed 
writings,  however,  which  are  acknowledged  as  authorita- 
tive in  morals  and  religion  by  any  generation,  may  be 
accepted  as  representing  the  highest  views  of  that  genera- 
tion.    Whatever  may  have  been  held  by  coarser  natures, 

'  Sec  the  suggestive  lecture  by  the  Bishop  of  Carlisle,  on  "  The  Grad- 
ual Development  of  Revelation,"  delivered  before  the  Christian  Evidence 
Society  of  Great  Britain,  and  published  with  other  lectures  of  the  course 
under  the  title  of  "  Modern  Skepticism  "  (New  York,  Randolph  &  Co., 
1871^ 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  51 

we  cannot  suppose  that  Moses  or  David  would  fall  behind 
an  inspired  predecessor  in  the  completeness  of  his  survey 
of  the  truth  so  far  revealed  in  or  to  human  consciousness. 
The  more  the  Bible  is  studied,  the  more  plainly  this  steady 
advance  is  recognized. 

•  The  Book  of  Job  presents  an  exceptionally  easy  test 
of  this  princiijle  ;  because,  as  we  have  seen,  it  distinctly 
attempts  to  collate  the  notions  of  the  past  on  certain  sub- 
jects, and  to  add  to  them  new  and  enlarged  views.  In 
this  light,  let  us  consider  briefly  two  doctrines  of  the 
book,  the  doctrine  of  calamity  and  the  doctrine  of  Satan. 
The  early  notion  that  unfortunate  people  are  cursed  is 
allied  to  the  feelings  shown  by  animals  in  avoiding  their 
wounded  or  dying  companions.  Correlative  to  it  is  the 
conception  of  prosperity  as  blessing  or  reward.  The  story 
of  Eden,  philosophically  considered,  depicts,  as  the  Bishop 
of  Carlisle  has  well  remarked,  the  dawn  of  man's  religious 
consciousness  ;  and  the  first  conception  arising  out  of  this 
consciousness  is  that  of  suffering  as  a  penalty.  In  the 
patriarchal  age,  this  view  appears  to  us,  enlarged  by  the 
addition  of  the  family  sphere.  The  complete  identifica- 
tion, in  that  age,  of  the  head  of  the  family  with  his  de- 
scendants and  dependents,  made  it  natural  to  believe  tlicra 
all  involved  in  a  common  condemnation  or  reward.  It 
should  be  added  that  the  long  lives  and  simple  social  and 
political  relations  of  the  patriarchs  rendered  the  doctrine 
of  temporal  rewards  and  punishments  a  suflicient  guide 
for  conduct  and  belief.  The  longer  a  man  lives,  and  the 
less  his  life  is  complicated  Avith  the  actions  of  others  be- 
yond his  control,  the  more  likely  is  it  that,  by  the  opera- 
tion of  unerring  moral  laws,  his  fate  in  this  life  will  cor- 
respond with  his  desert.  Yet  the  patriarchal  notions  of 
God,  His  promises  and  His  retributions,  however  w^cll 
they  may  have  served  to  educate  the  religious  sense  of 


52  TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

those  ages,  were  certainly  outgrown  in  the  progress  of 
revelation  ;  so  that  Christ  and  the  Apostles  found  no  more 
stubborn  obstacle  to  their  higher  and  wider  truth  than 
the  purblind  bigotry  which  would  not  look  beyond  the 
horizon  of  Abraham. 

In  estimating  the  position  of  Moses,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  his  mission  was  to  reconstruct  the  conscience 
and  the  religious  sense  in  a  people  debased  by  slavery  and 
disease.  The  popular  beliefs  of  Egypt,  whatever  may 
have  been  the  sublimer  creed  of  the  initiated  priesthood, 
were  abjectly  superstitious.  The  Egyptian  doctrine  of 
rewards  and  punishments  in  a  future  life,  or  series  of  lives, 
was  a  phantasy,  fostered  by  priestcraft  and  employed  in 
its  service.  The  famous  paradox  maintained  by  Bishop 
Warburton  in  his  "  Divine  Legation  of  Moses  "  deduces 
the  divine  origin  of  the  Mosaic  religion  from  its  suppres- 
sion of  the  doctrine  of  immortality,  and  its  revival  of  the 
simple,  and  mainly  if  not  exclusively  temporal,  creed  of 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob.'  Moses  taught  temporal  re- 
wards and  punishments,  extending  to  children's  children  ; 
and  this  teaching  was  emphasized  by  the  special  dealings 
of  God  with  the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness.  But  the 
patriarchal  view  was  extended  by  Moses  and  his  succes- 
sors beyond  the  bounds  of  the  family,  to  embrace  the  na- 
tion. 

All  these  doctrines  are  true,  but  partial.  Just  as  the 
forces  known  to  physicists  before  the  discovery  of  capil- 
larity, magnetism,  and  electricity  were  truths,  though  in- 
adequate to  explain  all  phenomena,  so  it  was  and  is  true 
that  virtue  and  vice  are  forces,  causing  happiness  and  suf- 
fering ;  and  that  these  results  affect  whole  families,  na- 
tions, and  races.     But  the  phenomena  of  experience  are 

'  See  also,  for  a  suggestive  rationalistic  treatment  of  the  subject, 
Schiller's  essay,  Die  Sendung  Mosrs  ("  The  Mission  of  Moses  "). 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  53 

not  completely  explained  by  appealing  to  these  causes  ; 
still  less  can  these  causes,  as  conceived  by  the  ancients, 
and  assumed  to  be  the  only  ones,  be  reconciled  with  the 
absolute  justice  of  an  almighty  ruler. 

An  additional  view  is  suggested  by  David,  namely, 
that  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked  is  deceitful,  and  the 
affliction  of  the  righteous  temporary.  This  also  is  a  par- 
tial truth  ;  but,  as  a  satisfactory  solution,  it  encounters 
two  fatal  objections.  First,  there  are,  particularly  in  civ- 
ilized life,  innumerable  instances  in  which  the  innocent 
are  overwhelmed  with  disaster,  never  remedied  in  this 
world,  or  the  wicked  are  prospered  to  the  end  of  life. 
Secondly,  to  inflict  pain,  and  then  make  the  injury  good 
by  a  subsequent  benefaction,  is  merely  a  clumsy,  human 
kind  of  justice — not  the  way  in  which  an  almighty  ruler, 
undertaking  to  distribute  fortune  to  men  according  to 
their  desert,  might  be  expected  to  follow  that  principle. 

Some  of  the  Psalms  (mainly  of  later  periods)  speak  of 
affliction  as  intended  to  reform  the  righteous  by  convict- 
ing them  of  sin,  and  inspiring  them  to  repentance.  True 
again,  yet  again  inadequate.  If  this  were  all,  why  do  the 
wicked  prosper  ? 

Finally,  let  us  admit  without  too  close  a  scrutiny  that 
there  are  hints  in  the  older  Scriptures  of  a  future  life,  in 
which  some  vague  recompense  is  meted  out,  to  square  the 
accounts  of  this  life.  Even  this  conception,  advanced  as 
it  is  beyond  the  others,  and  true,  as  they  also  are  true,  is 
like  them  inadequate  to  explain  the  seeming  contradiction 
of  an  almighty  being  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  eternity 
to  remedy  the  unavoidable  injustice  committed  in  time. 

All  these  views  are  vigorously  criticised  in  the  Book 
of  Job,  and  shown  to  fall  short  of  the  requirements  of 
the  problem  of  Providence  ;  hence,  we  feel  it  fair  to  as- 
sume, the  sacred  writers  who  rested  in  any  or  all  of  these 


54  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

views  as  sufficient,  probably  preceded  the  author  of  Job. 
He  suggests,  however,  as  we  have  seen,  a  new  hypothesis 
as  sometimes  applicable,  namely,  that  of  affliction  as  a 
test  of  goodness.  This  view  reappears  in  some  of  the 
prophets,  who,  we  think,  were  later  than  our  author.  "But  in 
their  books  the  theme  receives  other  variations,  of  which 
the  author  of  Job  appears  to  have  known  nothing.  Thus 
we  have  the  doctrines  of  the  suffering  of  good  men  as 
witnesses  to  the  truth,  or  of  martyrdom ;  of  vicarious 
suffering,  the  just  for  the  unjust  (mystically  foreshad- 
owed perhaps  in  the  Mosaic  ritual,  but  not  applied  to  the 
suffering  of  man  for  man  before  the  major  proi^hets)  ;  of 
educatory  suffering,  and  so  on. 

All  these  views  are  gathered,  expanded,  and  illumi- 
nated by  the  New  Testament.  In  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  we  find  a  new  criterion  of  fortune,  by  which  they 
are  counted  happy  whom  the  world  calls  unfortunate. 
Happiness  and  prosperity  ai'e  not  the  same,  though  Job 
confounded  them.  Moreover,  the  full  truth  of  God's 
perpetual  sympathy  with  human  suffering  is  revealed  in 
Christ,  with  the  still  higher  truth  that  the  fellowship  of 
suffering  unites  God  and  man,  since  God  suffers  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world  for  the  sake  of  His  creatures, 
and  His  saints  are  invited  to  suffer  with  him,  that  is,  as 
He  does,  for  others.  Suffering  is  recognized  as  a  precious 
experience,  both  qualifying  its  subject  to  become  in  turn 
the  comforter  of  others,  and  working  out  in  him  the 
noblest  power  of  patience  and  the  unspeakable  blessing 
of  peace. 

Finally,  the  Xew  Testament  declares,  Avhat  the  author 
of  Job  dimly  perceived,  that  pain  is  a  part  of  the  plan 
of  evolution,  both  in  the  material  and  in  the  spiritual 
universe.  As  one  astronomer  infers  from  the  apparently 
abnormal  movenients  of  a  planet  that  some  undiscovered 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  55 

orb  exists  beyond,  and  another  astronomer  brings  to 
knowledge  the  star  itself,  so  the  author  of  Job,  by  a 
precisely  similar  logic,  inferred  that  there  were  other 
causes  for  suffering  than  those  already  recognized,  and 
pointed  out,  as  it  were,  the  celestial  region  in  which  these 
unknown  causes  would  be  found  ;  while  Christ  and  the 
Apostles  in  due  time  confirmed  his  i:)rcdiction.  Science 
has  rendered  us  the  great  service  of  throwing  much  light 
upon  the  functions  of  pain.  Its  latest  form,  the  Dar- 
winian hypothesis  (whether  fully  accepted  or  not),  con- 
tains an  undeniable  truth,  that  by  pain,  disease,  accident, 
and  chiefly  by  the  calamity  of  premature  death,  once 
thought  most  mysterious  of  all,  the  progressive  adapta- 
tion of  living  species,  and  even  of  human  races,  has 
been  effected.'  But  Paul  states  the  matter  completely, 
in  the  eighth  chapter  of  Romans,  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  Christian  evolutionist,  to  whom  the  series  from 
monad  to  man  does  not  stop  with  the  animal  man,  but 
goes  on  unbroken  tlirough  the  stages  of  spiritual  ad- 
vance, from  first  fi'uits  to  full  fruits,  even  to  "  the  mani- 
festation of  the  sons  of  God."  Hear  his  inspiring  sum- 
mary :  ^ 

"  For  the  history  of  all  things  presents  the  universal 
tendency,  the  earnest  expectation,  toward  this  consummat- 
ing spiritual  glory.  Creation  was  made,  not  perfect,  but 
perfectible,  subject  to  perpetual  change  (vanity,  evanes- 
cence) ;  and  this  not  by  its  own  will,  without  a  plan,  but 
by  Ilim  who  established  this  law  of  progress  (hope),  by 
which  all  living  things  are  to  be  delivered  at  last,  even 
as  we  are  delivered  from  the  bondage  of  mortality  into 
the  freedom  of  immortality.     Now,  knowing  that  pain, 

*  See,  for  the  best  popular  statement  of  this  avgument,  Mr.  A.  R. 
Wallace's  "  Contributions  to  the  Theory  of  Natural  Seloctiou."  '^  Ro- 
mans viii.  19-24. 


56  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

attendant  upon  isrogress,  has  been  the  rule  from  the  be- 
ginning, and  feeling  the  pains  of  spiritual  growth  in 
ourselves,  let  us  take  courage  and  patience  from  the 
blessed  analogy  of  Nature,  and  remember  that  this  suffer- 
ing also  is  the  price  and  means  of  j^rogress.  Let  us  ex- 
pect, as  the  fruit  of  the  Divine  process  of  evolution  in 
spiritual  things,  our  complete  adoption  into  the  spiritual 
family,  and  our  deliverance  from  the  thrall  of  the 
body." 

This,  or  something  like  this,  is  the  view  which  Paul 
takes  of  affliction.  As  expressed  in  the  passage  we  have 
paraphrased,  it  sets  forth  man's  fellowship  in  suffering 
with  the  whole  creation.  The  context  declares  man's 
fellowship  in  suffering  with  a  Divine  Redeemer.  The 
blending  of  these  two  aspects  in  the  eighth  of  Romans 
constitutes  perhaps  the  most  comprehensive  and  satisfac- 
tory treatment  ever  given  to  the  problem  of  suffering,  the 
rudiments  of  which  are  propounded  in  Job.  It  will  occur 
to  every  student,  however,  that  the  Christian  philosopher, 
no  less  than  the  Hebrew  poet,  leaves  the  central  mystery 
unsolved.  The  good  man  in  affliction  may  be  lifted  out 
of  despair  by  the  sublime  conception  of  the  apostle  ;  but 
it  is  still  only  through  faith  and  trust,  not  through  the 
satisfaction  of  curiosity  as  to  the  exact  meaning  and  pur- 
pose of  his  own  fortunes,  that  he  attains  to  peace.  We 
are  permitted,  both  through  science  and  through  the  later 
revelation,  to  see  more  of  the  machinery  of  Providence 
than  did  the  patriarchs  and  their  successors.  We  are 
permitted  to  know  more  clearly  that  the  Gi'cat  Artificer 
is  our  Father  and  Friend  ;  that  by  Ilis  power  all  things 
are  working  together  for  good  ;  that  we,  with  all  things, 
are  parts  of  His  gracious  purpose.  But  we  cannot  "  com- 
prehend the  Almighty  to  perfection  ; "  and  as  for  the 
labyrinth  of  our  personal  perplexities,  we  must  still  ever- 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  57 

more  take  wings  and  soar  above  it  ;  we  cannot  traverse 
it  by  any  human  map. 

Leaving  this  survey  of  the  development  of  the  doc- 
trine of  suffering  in  revelation,  we  remark  that  the  stage 
of  it  represented  by  the  Book  of  Job,  when  compared 
with  the  other  Scriptures,  confirms  the  opinion  already 
reached  on  independent  grounds  as  to  the  age  of  that 
book. 

A  similar  conclusion  is  indicated,  though  from  much 
more  meagre  materials,  by  a  comparative  consideration 
of  the  teachings  of  the  various  Scriptures  concerning 
Satan.  A  rapid  survey  of  the  progress  of  this  doctrine 
will  suffice  to  fix  the  position  in  that  respect  of  the 
book  before  us.  But  we  should  first  note  the  fact  that 
the  word  translated  Satan  in  this  book  is  usually  trans- 
lated "  adversary." '  In  two  places  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment,' besides  this  book,  it  is  given  as  a  proper  name. 
One  is  the  passage  in  Chronicles,  where  Satan  is  said 
to  have  stood  up  against  Israel,  and  j)rovoked  David 
to  number  the  people.  The  parallel  passage  in  Samuel 
does  not  name  Satan.  The  other  is  in  the  vision  of 
Zechariah, 

The  conception  of  arbitrary  and  wanton  gods,  seeking 
their  own  pleasure,  is  common  in  polytheistic  religions. 
The  Greek  mythology  may  serve  as  an  example.  The 
corrupt  popular  creed  of  Egypt  involved  the  same  separa- 
tion of  the  idea  of  God  from  the  idea  of  goodness.  Moses, 
in  his  work  of  restoring  the  moral  sense  of  a  race,  began 
with  the  simplest  notions  of  God  and  duty.  In  his  phi- 
losophy, we  find  most  prominent  the  supreme  power  of 
God,  who  is  represented  as  using  evil  to  jjunish  sin.     As 

'  See  Num.  xxii.  2a,  32  ;  1  Sam.  xxix.  4  ;  2  Sam.  xix.  22  ;  1  Kings  t. 
4  ;  xi.  14,  23,  25 ;  and  Ps.  cix.  6,  where  the  marginal  reading  is  the  bet- 
ter one-     *  1  Chron.  xxi.  1  ;  Zcch.  iii.  1,  2. 


58  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

it  was  not  safe  to  unfold  the  truth  of  immortality  upon 
the  basis  of  the  Egyptian  sujjerstitions  regarding  the 
future  life,  so,  on  the  other  hand,  the  existence  of  a  per- 
sonal power  of  evil  could  not  be  taught  to  Israel  at  once, 
because  it  would  lead  the  nation,  tainted  already  with 
polytheism,  to  make  another  god  out  of  Satan.  This  was, 
indeed,  the  case  in  the  Zoroastrian  religion,  dating  more 
than  twelve  centuries  before  Christ.  In  that  creed,  to 
escape  from  making  God  resj)onsible  for  evil,  a  dual  prin- 
ciple was  conceived,  giving  birth  to  two  brothers,  Aura- 
mazda  and  Ahriman.  The  latter  was  imprisoned  for  three 
thousand  years,  but  after  his  release  created  thousands  of 
evil  sjiirits  to  counteract  the  good  spirits  meanwhile  cre- 
ated by  Auramazda,  and  finally  mixed  an  egg  containing 
evil  with  the  q^^  of  Auramazda  containing  good,  out  of 
which  the  world,  thus  mixed  of  good  and  evil,  proceeded. 
This  philosophy  easily  degenerated  into  the  belief  that 
the  good  spirit  was  not  the  sole  creator  of  the  world,  but 
a  subordinate  being,  of  equal  rank  with  the  evil  si)irit. 

Probably  the  influence  of  this  Persian  conception 
would  have  led  the  Hebrew  nation  into  error,  but  for  the 
peculiar  emphasis  laid  by  Moses  on  the  almighty  power 
of  God  as  the  central  truth  of  his  system.  To  allow  the 
conception  of  good  and  bad  angels  to  grow  in  definite- 
ness  without  trenching  upon  that  of  the  One  Supreme 
Being,  and  breeding  a  new  polytheism — this  was  the 
problem  solved  in  the  education  of  the  Israelites.  God 
and  Righteousness — this  was  the  foundation  on  which 
alone  it  Avas  safe  to  build. 

We  find  accordingly  that  the  angels  of  the  early 
Scriptures  are  colorless,  irresponsible  agents  of  the  com- 
mands of  God.  In  Numbers  xxii,  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
stood  for  a  Satan  against  Balaam  ;  and  in  1  Kings  xxii.  a 
curious  vision  is  reported  by  Micaiah  the  prophet,  which 


TUE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  59 

shows  what  wei*e  the  conceptions  on  this  subject  as  late 
as  the  days  of  Jehoshaphat,  900  years  before  Christ.  Here 
Jehovah  is  represented  as  asking  advice  of  His  angels, 
how  to  mislead  Ahab.  And  there  came  forth  a  sjnrit 
and  stood  be/ore  Jehovah  and  said,  I  to  ill  persuade  him. 
And  Jehovah  said  unto  him,  Whereioith  ?  And  he  said, 
I  will  go  forth,  and  I  will  he  a  lying  sjnrit  in  the  mouth 
of  all  his  prophets.  And  He  said,  Thou  shall  persuade, 
and  prevail  also :  go  forth  and  do  so.''"' 

This  may  be  merely  the  quasi-poetic  way  in  which 
Micaiah  contradicted  the  prophets  of  Ahab.  But  it  is 
introduced  with  the  solemn  formula  of  authority,  Hear 
thou  the  word  of  Jehovah  /  and  it  illustrates  the  current 
notions  of  angels,  as  beings  working  evil,  even,  at  the 
command  of  God.  There  is,  however,  a  new  feature  of 
voluntary  activity  here.  The  angels  in  this  vision  make 
suggestions. 

By  Isaiah  *  (about  TOO  b.  c.)  a  punishment  of  bad 
angels  is  described  ;  and  Zechariah  "^  (about  500  b.  c.) 
represents  Satan  as  appearing  to  claim  the  soul  of  one 
saved,  and  Jehovah  as  rebuking  him  in  wrath.  These  two 
passages  show  a  great  advance  in  the  definiteness  of  the 
doctrine,  and  prepare  the  way  for  the  clearer  view  of 
Satan  expressed  by  Christ  and  the  Apostles,  who  describe 
him  as  the  adversary  of  souls. 

If  the  Book  of  Job  was  written  after  the  books  of 
Moses  and  before  the  Book  of  Isaiah,  and  if  the  scene 
of  the  drama  was  laid  in  a  time  at  least  as  early  as  Moses, 
we  might  expect  to  find  among  the  personages  of  the 
book  no  allusion  to  Satan  at  all,  and  in  the  author  him- 
self a  conception  of  Satan  between  that  of  the  lying 
spirit  of   Micaiah's  vision  and   that  of   the  evil  spirits 

'  Is.  xxiv.  21.     '  Zech.  iii.  1. 


60  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

whose  punisliinent  Isaiah  pictures.  This  is  exactly  what 
we  do  lind.  Satan  is  separated  from  the  sons  of  God, 
but  not  yet  cast  out ;  he  is  malicious,  but  not  rebellious. 
He  differs  with  Jehovah,  but  does  not  defy  him.  lie 
neither  believes  nor  trembles.  Jehovah  is  represented  as 
tolerating  his  presence,  recognizing  without  wrath  his 
evil  temper,  and  permitting,  on  a  sort  of  wager,  within 
defined  limits,  his  machinations  against  a  righteous  man. 

This  can  hardly  fail,  on  rational  consideration,  to  be 
recognized  as  a  transitional  concei^tion.  But  how  won- 
derfully deep  arid  true  is  its  characterization  !  A  single 
feature  only  is  sketched,  but  it  is  an  eternal  one.  A  sin- 
gle note  is  sounded,  but  it  is  the  key-note.  Jehovah, 
loving  and  believing  in  goodness  ;  Satan,  disbelieving 
and  hating  it.  Out  of  this  germ-thought  the  whole  New 
Testament  conception  naturally  grows.  The  activity  of 
Satan  in  spreading  physical  evils  drops,  in  great  meas- 
ure, away  ;  but  the  true  Satanic  element,  willful  skepti- 
cism of  goodness,  expands  into  the  terrible  proportions 
of  the  great  enemy  of  souls. 

It  is  curious  to  notice  how  literature  has  made  dispro- 
portionate use  of  the  transitional  forms  of  the  doctrine  of 
Satan,  often  losing  sight  of  its  eternal  centre.  The  gro- 
tesque raediajval  conceptions  of  the  devil  are  distortions 
of  Scripture,  mixed  with  relics  of  paganism.  He  is  in 
appearance  like  the  god  Pan.  He  hunts  for  souls,  as  an 
Indian  for  scalps.  He  buys  them,  traps  them,  cheats  and 
is  cheated,  with  grim  humor  and  much  odor  of  brimstone. 
Finally  he  becomes  a  mei-e  bugaboo,  to  be  exorcised  by 
the  sign  of  the  cross  or  by  the  incantations  of  priests. 

Milton  has  gathered  his  devils  from  pagan  mythology, 
and  named  them  after  the  gods  of  the  heathen.  This  is  a 
poetic  use  of  the  early  belief  of  the  Hebrews  themselves, 
according  to  which  the  heathen  deities  actually  existed, 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  61 

but  the  God  of  Israel  was  theii-  superioi-  in  power,  giving 
victory  to  the  people  to  whom  He  specially  belonged. 
Milton's  Satan  is  simply  an  adversary.  True,  he  says 
"  Evil,  be  thou  my  good  ; "  but  he  only  says  it.  His  evil 
deeds  are  like  the  legitimate  stratagems  of  warfare.  Apart 
from  his  formal  hostility  to  God,  he  commands  our  re- 
spect, in  spite  of  the  repeated  attempts  of  the  poet  to  ex- 
plain how  bad  he  is.  The  central  Satanic  element  is  over- 
laid with  a  splendor  of  heroism. 

Byron,  in  his  "  Vision  of  Judgment,"  goes  but  a  step 
farther,  when  he  represents  Michael  and  Satan  saluting 
each  other  before  the  gate  of  Heaven,  with  the  courtesy 
of  knightly  foes. 

Dante's  Satan  is  a  horrible  symbolic  monster,  described 
with  that  minuteness  of  detail  in  which  this  sombre  poet 
clothes  his  epic  allegory — to  the  great  injury  of  its  sub- 
limity, in  the  feelings  at  least  of  modern  students.  We 
may  fairly  say  that  with  him  Satan  is  but  the  climax  of 
hell — a  hideous  beast,  in  whose  dripping  jaws  the  worst 
sinners  suffer  the  worst  agonies. 

Mrs.  Browning,  in  her  "  Drama  of  Exile,"  has  given  a 
conception  of  Satan  which  is  noble,  but  not  Satanic.  Such 
a  being  might  repent.  He  recognizes  the  wrong.  He 
believes  remorsefully  in  the  good.  To  the  mourning 
world  after  the  fall,  he  says  : 

"  Ye  wail ;  ye  all  wail ;  pcrad venture  I 
Could  wail  among  you ! " 

It  is  in  Goethe's  "  Faust "  that  we  find  the  Satan  of 
Scrij)ture  and  experience.  This  drama  is  a  pitiless  picture 
of  both  the  human  and  the  Satanic  elements  of  evil.  We 
understand  by  intuition  how  Faust  can  repent  and  be 
saved  ;  but  not  Mephistopheles,  whose  character  is  rooted 
in  disbelief.     Ich  bin  der  Geist  der  stets  verneint,  *'  I  am 


62  TUE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

the  spirit  that  always  denies,"  is  his  comprehensive  self- 
description.  The  sneer,  not  the  curse,  is  his  perpetual 
expression.  Goethe  started,  as  the  development  of  this 
doctrine  in  Scripture  starts,  with  the  Satan  of  the  Book 
of  Job. 

Although  the  characters  in  Job  nowhere  allude  to  the 
existence  of  Satan,  the  spirit  which  is  ascribed  to  him  -in 
the  prologue  is  unconsciously  shared  by  the  three  friends. 
They  sit  face  to  face  with  goodness,  and  disbelieve  it. 
They  are  swift  to  suspect  and  accuse.  More  devilishly 
still,  the  Pharisees  looked  upon  Christ,  and  attributed  his 
miracles  of  mercy  to  the  power  of  Beelzebub,  In  both 
cases  the  Devil  was  inspiring  the  critics,  even  while  they 
thought  themselves  the  representatives  of  righteousness. 

The  author  of  "  Ecce  Homo  "  says  in  substance  that 
the  test  of  an  inspired  teacher  or  prophet  is  this,  that  his 
message  must  be  the  eternal  truth,  but  its  form  must  be 
local  and  temporary.  The  doctrine  of  suffering  and  the 
doctrine  of  Satan,  as  set  forth  in  the  Book  of  Job,  respond 
to  this  challenge.  The  eternal  truth  is  in  them,  while 
the  conditions  of  a  development  still  in  progress  suiTound 
and  limit  them. 

As  for  the  inspiration  of  this  book,  it  would  be  useless 
to  enter  into  argument  on  that  subject.  The  earnest  stu- 
dent will  find  inspiration  in  it,  because  he  will  receive  in- 
spiration from  it.  In  the  absence  of  this  proof,  no  other 
would  convey  to  him  either  conviction  or  benefit.  But 
to  one  who  has  felt  the  truth  itself,  the  attestation  of 
Christ  and  His  Apostles,  which  the  Book  of  Job  receives 
in  common  with  other  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  possesses 
more  than  dogmatic  authority. 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  G3 

VI. 

THE    EEVISKD    VERSION    AND    METRICAL    TARAPHRASE. 

In  the  choice  of  a  stanza  for  this  paraphrase,  the  con- 
sideration of  convenience  was  predominant.  The  three 
lines  of  this  stanza  permit  either  the  condensation  of  two 
of  the  Hebrew  couplets,  or  the  expansion  of  one,  as  the 
rendering  of  the  thought  may  require.  No  attempt  has 
been  made  to  reproduce  the  strophic  structure  of  the 
original,  which  Ewald,  for  instance,  professes  to  follow 
closely,  but  which  seems,  nevertheless,  to  be  a  matter  of 
considerable  obscurity  and  doubt  among  critics.  There 
is,  however,  no  doubt  that  the  poem  is  constructed  with 
much  skill,  according  to  certain  rules  of  art  ;  and,  for  the 
pleasure  which  the  recognition  of  this  skill  would  give  to 
a  competent  reader  of  the  original,  a  partial  substitute  is 
offered  in  the  use  of  rhyme,  as  imparting  a  more  artificial 
form  to  the  paraphrase.*  At  the  same  time,  the  represen- 
tation of  the  shades  of  thought  in  the  original  has  been 
the  controlling  condition  throughout.  This  is,  however, 
not  a  translation,  but  a  paraphrase.  The  thought,  not 
the  word,  is  carefully  followed. 

In  the  notes  at  the  end  of  the  paraphrase  will  be  found 
some  explanations  of  obscure  passages  and  statements 
of  the  grounds  upon  which  certain  readings  have  been 
adopted. 

By  the  kindness  of  the  American  Bible  Union,  the 
Revised  Version  prepared  for  that  society  by  Dr.  Conant 
is  presented  for  comparison.  \Vhere  this  version  has  been 
followed,  in  preference  to  the  common  one,  there  is  usu- 

1  See,  in  Dugald  Stewart's  "  Philosophy,"  an  interesting  analysis  of 
the  nature  of  the  pleasure  given  by  rhymed  verse. 


64  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

ally  no  reason  given  in  the  notes.  The  student  will  find 
this  deficiency  made  good  in  the  critical  notes  of  the 
quarto  edition  of  Conant's  "  Job,"  which  he  is  earnestly 
advised  to  study. 


PROLOGUE. 

1  There  was  a  man  in  the  land  of  Uz,  whose  name  was  Job.     This 

2  man  was  perfect  and  upright,  and  one  who  feared  God  and  shunned 

3  evil.  There  were  born  to  him  seven  sons  and  three  daughters.  His 
substance  was  seven  thousand  sheep  and  goats,  and  three  thousand 
camels,  and  five  hundred  yoke  of  oxen,  and  five  hundred  she-asses, 
and  very  many  servants.  And  this  man  was  great,  above  all  the 
sons  of  the  East. 

4  Now  his  sons  went  and  held  a  feast,  at  the  house  of  each,  on  his 
day ;  and  they  sent,  and  invited  their  three  sisters,  to  eat  and  to  drink 

5  with  them.  And  when  they  had  let  the  feast-days  go  round,  Job 
sent  and  purified  them.  And  he  rose  early  in  the  morning,  and 
offered  burnt-offerings,  according  to  the  number  of  them  all :  for 
Job  said,  it  may  be  that  my  sons  have  sinned,  and  have  forsaken 
God  in  their  hearts.     Thus  did  Job  continually. 

6  Now  it  was  the  day,  when  the  Sons  of  God  came  to  present  them- 

7  selves  before  Jehovah  ;  and  Satan  also  came  among  them.  And  Je- 
hovah said  to  Satan :  From  whence  comest  thou  ?     And  Satan  an- 

8  swered  Jehovah  and  said:  From  roaming  over  the  earth,  and  from 
walking  about  upon  it.  And  Jehovah  said  to  Satan  :  Has  thou  ob- 
served my  servant  Job,  that  there  is  none  like  to  him  on  the  earth, 

9  a  perfect  and  upright  man,  one  that  feareth  God  and  shunneth   evil  ? 

10  And  Satan  answered  Jehovah  and  said :  For  naught,  doth  Job  fear 
God  ?  Hast  not  thou  hedged  him  about,  and  his  house,  and  all  that 
he  hath,  on  every  side?      The  work  of  his  hands  thou  hast  blessed, 

11  and  his  substance  is  spread  abroad  in  the  earth.      But,  put  forth 

12  now  thy  hand  and  touch  all  that  he  hath, — if  he  will  not  renounce 
thee,  to  thy  face !  And  Jehovah  said  to  Satan :  Lo,  all  that  he  hath 
is  in  thy  power ;  only,  against  himself  do  not  put  forth  thy  hand. 
And  Satan  went  out  from  the  presence  of  Jehovah. 


cnAP.  II.]  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  G5 

Now  it  was  the  day,  that  his  sons  and  his  daughters  were  eating,  13 
and  drinking  wine,  in  the  house  of  their  brother,  the  first-born.     And  14 
there  came  a  messenger  to  Job,  and  said :  The  cattle  were  ploughing, 
and  the  she-asses  were  grazing  beside  them  ;  and  Sabseans  fell  upon 
and  took  them ;  and  the  servants  they  have  smitten  with  the  edge  of  15 
the  sword,  and  only  I  alone  escaped  to  tell  thee. 

Whilst  he  was  still  speaking,  there  came  another,  and  said:  The  16 
fire  of  God  fell  from  heaven,  and  burned  the  flocks  and  the  servants, 
and  consumed  them ;  and  only  I  alone  escaped  to  tell  thee. 

Whilst  he  was  still  speaking,  there  came  another,  and  said :  Chal-  17 
daeans  formed  three  bands,  and  set  upon  the  camels  and  took  them  ; 
and  the  servants  they  have  smitten  with  the  edge  of  the  sword,  and 
only  I  alone  escaped  to  tell  thee. 

Whilst  he  was  still  speaking,  there  came  another,  and  said:  Thy  18 
sons  and  thy  daughters  were  eating,  and  drinking  wine,  in  the  house 
of  their  brother,  the  first-bom.     And  lo,  there  came  a  great  wind  from  19 
beyond  the  wilderness,  and  struck  upon  the  four  corners  of  the  house, 
so  that  it  fell  on  the  young  men,  and  they  died ;  and  only  I  alone  es-  20 
capcd  to  tell  thee. 

Then  Job  arose,  and  rent  his  garment,  and  shaved  his  head ;  and  he 
fell  to  the  earth,  and  worshipped.     And  he  said ;  Naked  came  I  forth  21 
from  my  mother's  womb,  and  naked  shall  I  return  thither.     Jeho- 
vah gave,  and  Jehovah  hath  taken  away ;  blessed  be  the  name  of 
Jehovah ! 

In  all  this  Job  sinned  not,  nor  uttered  folly  against  God.  22 

Now  it  was  the  day,  when  the  Sons  of  God  came  to  present  them-     1 
selves  before  Jehovah  ;  and  Satan  also  came  among  them,  to  present 
himself  before  Jehovah.     Then  said  Jehovah  to  Satan :  From  whence     2 
comest  thou  ?     Satan  answered  Jehovah,  and  said :  From  roaming 
over  the  earth,  and  from  walking  about  upon  it.     Then  said  Jehovah     3 
to  Satan  :  Hast  thou  observed  my  servant  Job,  that  there  is  none  like 
to  him  on  the  earth,  a  man  perfect  and  upright,  one  that  feareth  God 
and  shunneth  evil  ?     And  still  he  holds  fast  his  integrity,  though  thou 
didst  move  me  against  him,  to  destroy  him  without  cause. 

Satan  answered  Jehovah,  and  said  :  Skin  for  skin ;  and  all  that  a     4 
man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life.     But,  stretch  forth  now  thy  hand     5 
and  touch  his  bone  and  his  flesh  ;  if  he  will  not  renounce  thee,  to  thy 
face  !     And  Jehovah  said  to  Satan :    Lo,  he  is  in  thy  hand  ;  only,     6 
spare  his  life. 

And  Satan  went  out  from  the  presence  of  Jehovah,  and  smote  Job     1 


66 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.    III. 


8  with  grievous  ulcers,  from  the  sole  of  his  foot  to  his  crown.      And  he 

9  took  a  potsherd  to  scrape  himself  therewith,  as  he  sat  among  the 
ashes.     Then  said  his  wife  to  him  :  Dost  thou  still  hold  fast  thy  in- 

10  tegiity  ?  Bless  God,  and  die  !  And  he  said  to  her  :  Thou  speakest 
as  one  of  the  foolish  women  speaks.  The  good  shall  we  receive  from 
God,  and  shall  we  not  receive  the  evil  ?  In  all  this,  Job  sinned  not 
with  his  lips. 

11  Now  three  friends  of  Job  heard  of  all  this  evil  that  had  come  upon 
him.  And  they  came  each  from  his  place,  Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  and 
Bildad  the  Shuhite,  and  Zophar  the  Naamathite ;  for  they  had  con- 

12  certed  together,  to  go  and  mourn  with  him,  and  comfort  him.  They 
raised  their  eyes  afar  otf,  and  knew  him  not ;  and  they  wept  aloud, 

13  and  rent  each  one  his  garment,  and  strowed  dust  upon  their  heads 
toward  heaven.  And  they  sat  down  with  him  upon  the  earth,  seven 
days  and  seven  nights  ;  and  none  spoke  a  word  to  him,  for  they  saw 
that  the  affliction  was  very  great. 

1  Afterward,  Job  opened  his  mouth,  and  cursed  his  day.     And 

2  Job  answered,  and  said : 

JOB'S  LAMENT. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

3  Perish  the  day.  wherein  I  was 

born; 
and   the  night,  which  said  :  A 
man-child  is  conceived  ! 

4  That  day,  let  it  be  darkness  : 

let   not  God   from  above    seek 

for  it, 
nor  light  shine  forth  upon  it. 

5  Let  darkness   and   death-shade 

reclaim  it ; 
let  clouds  rest  upon  it ;  [it. 

let  darkenings  of  the  day  affright 

6  That  night,  thick  darkness  seize 

upon  it! 
let  it  not  rejoice  among  the  days 

of  the  year, 
nor  come  into  the  number  of  the 

months. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Perish    my    day    of    birth    for-  3 
lorn — 

The  night  which  said,  A  man- 
child  bom ! 

Thick  darkness  hide  its  hour  of  4 
morn ; 

Let    God    forget    to   seek     its 

light. 
Clouds  lower,   and    eclipse    af-  6 

fright, 
Yea,  deeper  darkness  whelm  its  6 

night ! 

Nor  be  it  counted  in  the  days 
Of  years,  nor  reckoned  by  the 

rays 
Of  any  moon's  advancing  phase. 


CHAP.    III.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


67 


REVISED     VERSION. 

7  Lo,  let  that  night  be  barren, 
ami  no  sound  of  joy  enter  therein. 

8  Let  them  that  curse  days,  curse  it ; 
they  that  are  skilled  to  rouse  up 

the  leviathan. 

9  Let  the  stars  of  its  twilight  be 

dark ; 
let  it  wait  for  light,  and  there  be 

none ; 
neither  let  it  behold  the  eyelids 

of  the  morning. 

10  Because  it  did  not  shut  the  doors 

of  the  womb  that  bore  me, 
and  hide  sorrow  from  my  eyes. 

11  Wherefore  did  I  not  die  from 

the  womb — 
come  forth  from  the  womb,  and 
expire  ? 

12  Why  were  the  knees  ready  for  me, 
and   why   the    breasts,   that    I 

might  suck? 

13  For  now,  I  had  lain  down  and 

should  be  at  rest; 
I  had  slept,  then  would  there  be 
repose  for  me : 

14  with  kings,   and  counsellors  of 

the  earth, 
who  have  built  themselves  ruins : 

15  or  with  princes,  who  had  gold, 
who  filled  theirhouses  withsilver : 
or  like  a  hidden  untimely-birth, 

16  I  should  not  be; 

as  infants  that  never  see  light. 

17  There,  the  wicked  cease  from 

troubling, 
and  there,  the  weary  are  at  rest. 

18  The  prisoners  all  are  at  ease; 
they  hear  not  the  taskmaster's 

voice. 


PARArHRASE. 

Barren    henceforth   that    night    7 

remain, 
Nor  hear  a  mother's  cry  again 
Of  joy,  triumphant  over  pain  ! 

Curse  it,  all  they,  whose  sorceries     8 
Can  rouse  the  dragon  of  the  skies 
That  swallows  planets  as  he  flies  ! 

Its  starsof  morning-twilight  gone,     9 
Vain  may  it  yearn,  nor  see  anon 
The  rosy  eyelids  of  the  dawn ! 

Because  for  me  that  day  of  doom  10 
Closed  not  the  portals  of  the 

womb, 
Hiding  mine  eyes  from  woe  to 

come. 


Why  died  I  not  in  birth  at  first  ?  11 
Whywaslgentlyheldandnursed,  12 
To  keep  in  me  a  life  accurst  ? 

Why  could  I  not  forever  stay  13 
With  souls  that  never  saw  the  (16) 

day. 
Or  princes  whohavepassedaway?  14 

Their   pyramids   the   great   did 

build  ; 
Their  stately  tombs  with  treasure  15 

filled, 
Their  slaves  commanding  as  they 

willed. 

But  in  the  grave  the  wicked  cease  17 
From   troubling;    captives    find  18 

release. 
And  all  the  weary  arc  at  peace. 


68 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[cnAP.  IV. 


REVISED    VERSION. 

19  Small     and     great,    both     are 

there ; 
and  the  servant  is  free  from  his 
master. 

20  Wherefore  gives  He  light  to  the 

wretclied 
and   life    to    the    sorrowful   in 
heart ; 

21  who  long  for  death,  and  it  comes 

not, 
and  search  for  it  more  than  for 
hidden  treasures, 

22  who  are  joyful,  even  to  exult- 

in*^ 
are  glad,   when  they   find   the 
grave : — 

23  to  a  man,   whose  way   is   hid- 

den, 
and  God  hedgeth  about  him  ? 

24  For  with  my  food,  comes   my 

sighing ; 
and  my  moans  are  poured  forth 
as  water. 

25  For  I  feared  evil,   and   it  has 

overtaken  me ; 
and   that  which   I   dreaded,   is 
come  upon  me. 

26  I  was  not  at  case;  nor  was  I 

secure ; 
nor  was  I  at  rest ;  yet  trouble 
came. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Of  one  degree  are  great  and  small;  19 
The  slave  is  free  from  e  vc  ry  th  rail ; 
Silence  and  rest  encompass  all ! 


For  this   I   long— 0  why  doth  20 

He 
Give  hated  life  and  light  to  me, 
Who  seek  for  death  to  set  me  21 

free  ? 

As   robbers  break  a    pyramid, 
Wherein  are  countless  treasures 

hid,— 
But  not  to  lift  the  coffei's  hd  ! 

I  would  break  through,,  and  in 

the  gloom 
Bid  gold  and  silver  give  me — 

room ! 
Rejoicing,  if  I  gained  a  tomb  !       22 

Why  life  to  him,  whose  path  to  23 

hide, 
God  sets  a  wall  on  every  side  ? 
Sighs  are  my  food,  my  tears  a  24 

tide! 

Forlo!  Iwatchedagainstdistrcss,  25 
Nor  rested  in  self-righteousness;  26 
Yet  trouble  smites  me,  nc'erthe- 

Icss ! 


ELIPHAZ. 


1  Then  answered  Eliphaz  the  Tc- 

manite,  and  said : 

2  Should  one  venture  a  word  to 

thcp,  wilt  thou  be  offended  ? 
But  who  can  forbear  speaking ! 


Canst  thou  without  offense  at-     2 

tend 
The  admonition  of  a  friend 
Who  needs  must  speak,  though 

he  offend  ? 


CHAP.    IV.j 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB 


69 


REVISED   VERSION. 

3  Lo,  thou  hast  admonished  many, 
and  hast  strengthened  the  feeble 

hands. 

4  Thy  words  have  confirmed  the 

faltering, 
and  the  sinking  knees  thou  hast 
made  strong. 

5  But  now,  it  is  come  to  thee  and 

thou  faintest ; 
it  touches   thee,  and  thou  art 
confounded. 

6  Is  not  thy  fear  thy  confidence  ? 
Thy  hope,  it  is  the  uprightness 

of  thy  ways. 
Y  Remember  now,  who  that  was 
guiltless  has  perished  ? 
and  where  were  the  righteous 
cut  off? 

8  As  I  have  seen  :  they  that  plough 

iniquity, 
and  that  sow  mischief,  reap  the 
same.  [ish ; 

9  By  the  breath  of  God  they  per- 
and  by  the  blast  of  his  anger  are 

they  consumed. 

10  The  lion's  cry,  and  the  voice  of 

the  roaring  lion, 
and  the  teeth  of  the  young  lions, 
are  broken. 

11  The  strong  lion  perishes  for  lack 

of  prey,  [tered. 

and  the  lioness'  whelps  are  scat- 

12  Now    a  word    was    stealthily 

brought  to  me, 
and  my  ear  caught  the  whisper 
thereof. 

13  In  thoughts  from  visions  of  the 

night, 
when  deep  sleep  falls  upon  men  ; 


PARAPHRASE. 

\Miat,  thou  who  oft,  where  grief    3 

unmanned, 
Hast  nerved    again   the   feeble 

hand, 
The  sinking  knees  made  strong    4 

to  stand, 

Now  thou  art  smitten,  dost  Ihou     5 

faiut. 
Forgetting,   in    thy    wild    com-     6 

plaint, 
A  righteous  life  preserves   the 

saint  ? 

What  judgment  e'er  on  goodness     7 

came  ? 
Nay,  rather,  they   that   plough     8 

for  shame 
And  plant  for  mischief,  reap  the 

£ame ! 

The  wicked,  he  is   marked  for    9 

death. 
And    blasted    by    God's    angry 

breath. 
In  that   fierce  tempest  perish- 

eth. 

Toothless  and  tame,  his  whelps  10 

all  gone, 
His     roaring     shrunk     into    a 

moan. 
The  fierce  old  lion  dies  alone !       11 


That    whispered    word   I    hear  12 

again 
Which  came   in  nightly  visions,  13 

when 
Deep  slumber  falloth  upon  men. 


TO 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[OHAP.    V. 


REVISED    TERSION. 

14  fear  came  upon  ine,  and  trem- 

bling, [shake, 

which   made   all  my   bones  to 

15  Then  a  spirit  passed  before  me: 
the  hair  of  my  flesh  rose  up. 

16  It  stood  still,  but  I  could  not 

discern  its  form, 
an  image  was  before  my  eyes ; 
there  was  silence ;  and  I  heard 

a  voice : —  [Gad  ? 

17  Shall  man  be  more  just  than 
shall  a  man  be  more  pure  than 

his  Maker  ? 

18  Lo,  he  trusteth  not  in  his  ser- 

vants, [folly, 

and  to  his  angels  he  imputeth 

19  Much  more,  they  who  dwell  in 

houses  of  clay, 
whose  foundation  is  in  the  dust, 
who  are  crushed  like  the  moth. 

20  From  morning  to  evening  they 

are  destroyed, 
SD  that,  unheeded,  they  perish 
forever. 

21  Is   not  their   excellency   taken 

away  with  them  ? 
they  die,  and  without  wisdom. 

1  Call  now:    is  there  any  that 

will  answer  thee  ? 
and   unto  whom,  of  the   holy, 
wilt  thou  turn? 

2  For  grief  slayeth  the  foolish, 
and  envy  killeth  the  simple. 

3  I  have  myself  seen  the  wicked 

taking  root ; 
but  soon,  I  cursed  his  habitation. 

4  His  children  are  far  from  safety ; 
they  are  oppressed  in  the  gate, 

and  there  is  no  deliverer. 


PARAPHRASE. 

In  quaking  fear  I  lay.  At  last  14 
Before  my  face  a  spirit  passed:  15 
Mystiffening  hair  stood  up  aghast. 

It  passed,  it  paused — a  formless  16 

shade —  [dread ! 

No  substance,  but  a  semblance 
Silence ;  and  then  a  voice,  which 
said : 

Shall  mortals  be  more  pure  and  17 

just 
Than  God  who  made  them,  ?  Lo, 

He  must 
From  angels,  even,  withhold  His  18 

trust! 

Much  tnore  from   them,  in  tents  19 

xvho  lie, 
Pitched  in  the  dust,  that  by-and-by. 
Like  moths  with  crushed  wings, 
fall  and  die. 

From  morn   to   eve,  their   limit  20 

small ;  \..fcV. ; 

Tlie  cords  are  cut,  the  dwellings  21 
Fver  unheeding  perish  all! 


Call  now;  what  good  man's  an-     1 

swer  sent 
Would    praise    and    share    thy 

wild  lament  ? 
'Tis  fools  are  slain  by  discontent.     2 

What  though  the  wicked  thrive  ?     3 

I  wait. 
And  soon  his  place  is  desolate, 
His   children  friendless   iu  the    4 

gate. 


CHAP,    v.] 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


71 


RETISED   VERSION. 

5  Whose  harvest  the  hungry  shall 

devour, 
and  take  it,  even  out  from  the 

thorns : 
and  the  snare  is  gaping  for  their 

substance. 
"6  For  evil  goes  not  forth  from  the 

dust, 
nor  does  trouble  sprout  up  from 

the  ground ; 

7  for  man  is  bom  to  trouble, 
even  as  sparks  fly  upward. 

8  But  I,  to  God  would  I  seek  ; 
and  unto  God  commit  my  cause. 

9  Who  doeth  great  things,  and  un- 

searchable ;  [ber. 

things  wonderful,  without  num- 
10  Who  giveth  rain  on  the  face  of 
the  earth, 
and  sendeth  water  on  the  face 
of  the  fields. 
]  1  He  sets  the  humble  on  high, 
and  the  mourning  are  raised  to 
prosperity. 

12  He  breaks  up  the  devices  of  the 

crafty,  [thing  purposed, 

that  their  hands  shall  not  do  the 

13  He  ensnares  the  wise  in  their 

craftiness, 
and  the  counsel  of  the  cunning 
is  made  hasty : 

14  by  day,  they  meet  darkness, 
and  grope  at  noonday,  as  in  the 

night. 

15  So  he  rescues  the  victim  from 

their  mouth,  [the  strong. 

and  the  needy  from  the  hand  of 

16  Thus  there  is  hope  to  the  weak, 
and  iniquity  shuts  her  mouth. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Where  power  their  heritage  de-     5 

mands. 
While  hedges  round  his  harvest 

lands 
Are    broken    down    by    robber 

hands. 

For  ti'ouble   is    no    earth-born     6 

fate; 
Man  makes  and  finds  it,  soon  or     7 

late. 
As    sparks    fly    up,    by    force 

innate. 


To  God  my  cause  I  would  com-     8 

mit. 
Whose  purpose — who  can  com-     9 

pass  it? 
Whose     wondrous     works  are 

infinite. 

The  humble  he  exalts  again,       (11) 
As  o'er   the  earth  His  streams  10 

and  rain 
Restore   to   bloom   the   barren 

plain. 

The   crafty   plot   he    turns    to  12 

naught. 
The  schemer  in    his  scheme  is  13 

caught, 
His    hasty    counsels     all     un- 

w  rough  t, 

And,    struck    with    blindness,  14 

gropes  along ; 
So  God  delivers  from  the  strong  15 
The  weak,  and  shuts  the  mouth  16 

of  wrong ! 


72 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.   V, 


REVISED   VERSION. 

17  Lo,  happy  is  the  man  whom 

God  corrccteth, 
therefore,  spurn  not  thou   the 
chastening  of  the  Almighty. 

18  rorhewoundeth,andbindethup, 
he  smiteth,  and  his  hands  make 

whole. 

19  In  six  troubles,  he  will  deliver 

thee; 
yea  in  seven,  there  shall  no  evil 
befall  thee. 

20  In  famine,  he  will  free  thee  from 

death, 
and  in  war,  from  the  power  of 
the  sword. 

21  From  the  scourge  of  the  tongue 

thou  shalt  be  hidden, 
and  shalt  not  be  afraid  of  de- 
struction when  it  cometh. 

22  At  destruction   and  at  famine 

thou  shalt  laugh ; 
and  of  the  beasts  of  the  earth 
thou  needst  not  be  afraid. 

23  For  with  the  stones  of  the  field 

shalt  thou  be  in  league, 
and  the  beasts  of  the  field  shall 
be  at  peace  with  thee. 

24  So  shalt  thou  know,  that   thy 

tent  is  in  peace, 
and  shalt  visit  thy  pastures,  and 
miss  nothing. 

25  And  thou  shalt  know,  that  nu- 

merous is  thy  seed, 
and  thy  offspring  as  the  green 
herb  of  the  earth. 

26  Thou  shalt  come  to  the  grave  in 

hoary  age, 
as  the  sheaf  is  gathered  in,  in  its 
season. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Count   it   good   fortune   if    lie  17 

smite. 
Nor  spurn  His  rod.     His  hands 

delight 
To  bind  the  wounds  of   hearts  18 

contrite. 

Though    troubles    six    thy    life  19 

befall. 
Yea,  seven  may  threaten  ;  if  thou 

call. 
He     will     deliver      thee    from 

all: 

From  famine's  fate  and  foeman's  20 

sword. 
And  from  the  lash  of  slander's  21 

word, 
And  ruin,  stealing  up  unheard. 

At  troubles  of  a  scanty  year         22 
Thou  mayest  laugh  when  they 

appear, 
And  fiercest  beasts  thou  needst 

not  fear. 

Thou  shalt  be  friends  with  brute  23 

and  rock  ; 
Thy    tent   secure    from  hostile  24 

shock. 
Thine    eye    miss  naught   from 

field  or  flock. 

Thy  hoary  age  (when  thou  hast  25 
seen 

Thy  children  round  thee  grow- 
ing green), 

A  ripe  sheaf,  shall  be  gathered  26 
in. 


CHAP.    VI.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


Y3 


REVISED   VERSION. 

2^     Lo  this,  wc  have  searched  it 
out ;  so  it  is : 
hear  it,  and  know  thou,  for  thy- 
self. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Lo,  tliis  indeed  is  truth  alone,       27 
Since  this   the  truth    our    lives 

have  shown : 
Heed,  and  apply  it  to  thine  own ! 


JOB   TO   HIS   FRIENDS. 


1  Then  answered  Job,  and  said : 

2  0  that  my  grief  could  be  fully 

weighed, 
and  all  my  calamity  be  laid  in 
the  balances. 

3  For  now,  it  would  be   heavier 

than  the  sands  of  the  sea ; 
for  this  cause,  my  words  have 
been  rash. 

4  For  the  arrows  of  the  Almighty 

are  within  me,  [spirit : 

whose  poison  drinketh   up  my 
the  terrors  of  God  array  them- 
selves against  me. 

5  Docs  the  wild-ass  bray,  by  the 

fresh  grass ; 
or  lows  the  ox,  at  his  fodder  ? 

6  Can  that  which  is  tasteless  be 

eaten  without  salt ; 
or  is  there  any  relish  in  the  white 
of  an  egg  ? 

7  My  soul  refuses  to  touch  ! 
they  are  as  food  which  I  loathe. 

8  0  that  my  request  might  come ; 
that  God  would  grant  mylonging: 

9  and  that  it  would  please  God  to 

destroy  me ; 
that  he  would  let  loose  his  hand, 
and  cut  me  off. 
10  For  it  should  still  be  my  solace, 
yea  I  would  exult,  in  pain  that 
spares  not. 


Weigh  but   my    words    against     2 
my  woe. 

Heavy  as   ocean's  sands  ;   and     3 
lo! 

Ye  would  not  blame  me,  mourn- 
ing so. 

God's  marshaled  terrors  gather    4 
round  ; 

His  poisoned  arrows  pierce  pro- 
found, 

And   madness   burns   in   every 
wound! 

Nature  gives  voice  in  nature's     5 

way; 
The    browsing    ass    forgets   to 

bray; 
The   ox    lows    not  before    the 

hay. 

But  who  would  seek  unsavory     G 

food. 
And  call  the  nauseous  mixture 

good  ? 
My  soul  refuses  what  ye  would  !      7 

For   death   I   lift  my  prayer  in     8 

vain; 
Destruction  would  I  count  but     9 

gain; 
I  would  exult  in  utmost  pain.        10 


74 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.   VI. 


REVISED    VERSION. 

that  I  have  not  denied  the  words 
of  the  Holy  One. 

11  What  is  my  strength,  that  I 

should  hope, 
and  what  is  my  end,  that  I  should 
be  yet  patient? 

12  Is  my  strength  the  strength  of 

stones, 
or  is  my  flesh  of  brass  ? 

13  Is  not  my  help  within  me  gone, 
and  recovery  driven  away  from 

me? 

14  Kindness,  from  a  friend,  is  due 

to  the  despairing, 
ready  to  forsake  the  fear  of  the 
Almighty. 

15  My  brethren  are  deceitful,  like 

the  brook, 
as  the  channel  of  brooks  that 
pass  away : 

16  that  become  turbid,  from  ice; 
the  snow  hides  itself  in  them. 

17  At  the  time  they  are  poured  off, 

they  fail ; 
when  it  is  hot,  they  are  consumed 
from  their  place. 

18  The  caravans,  along  their  way, 

turn  aside ; 
they  go  up  into  the  wastes,  and 
perish. 

19  The  caravans  of  Tema  looked  ; 
the  companies  of  Sheba  hoped 

for  them  : 

20  they  were  ashamed  that  they  had 

trusted  ; 
they  came  thither  and  were  con- 
founded. 

21  Fornow  ye  are  become  nothing: 
ye  see  a  terror,  and  are  dismayed. 


PARAPHRASE. 

That  threatened  fate  I  seek.     By 

all 
My    blameless    life   on   Him    I 

call: 
Cut  the  tenths  cord,  and  let  it  fall  /  (9) 

What  should  I  hope  from  long  1 1 

delay  ? 
Am  I  of  brass  or  stone,  to  stay     12 
While  death  comes  slowly,  day  13 

by  day  ? 

Pity  is  due  from  friend  to  friend  14 
Whom   shadows  of  despair  at- 
tend, 
Tempting  his  soul  to  darker  end. 

J/y     brethren  —  false      spring  15 

streams,  that  flow. 
Turbid    with  ice   and    melting  16 

snow. 
To  fail  beneath   the    summer's  17 

glow ! 

From      Tema     through     the  (19) 

scorching  gust. 
From   Sheba  o'er   the   glowing 

dust, 
(0  fatal  end  of  foolish  trust !)    (20) 

The  caravans  theirchannelsgain,  18 
Find  them   and  follow  them  in 

vain. 
Then  die  upon  the  thirsty  plain. 

Thus    ye    my    yearning     hope  21 

betray. 
View  my  affliction  with  dismay, 
And  into  nothing  shrink  away  ! 


CHAP.    Til.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

22  Have  I  said  :  Give  it  to  me  ; 

or,  Bestow  of  your  wealth  for  my 
sake : 

23  or,  Deliver  me  from  an  enemy's 

hand, 
and  from  the  hand  of  the  vio- 
lent set  me  free  ? 

24  Teach  ye  me, — and  I  will  keep 

silence ; 
and  make  me  know  wherein  I 
have  erred. 

25  How  forcible  are  right  words ! 
but  what   does  your  upbraiding 

prove  ? 

26  Do     ye    intend      to     censure 

words, 
when  the  words  of  the  despair- 
ing are  as  wind  ? 

27  Te  would  even  cast  lots  for  the 

orphan, 
and  dig  a  pit  for  your  friend. 

28  And  now,  consent  to  look  upon 

me;        . 
for  I  will  not  speak  falsely  to 
your  face. 

29  Return  I  pray ;  let  there  be  no 

wrong : 
yea  return ;  I  yet  have  a  right- 
eous cause. 

30  Is  there  wrong  in  my  tongue  ? 
cannot  my  taste  discern  what  is 

perverse  ? 


PARAPHRASE. 

Have   I  said:  Share  your  gold  22 

with  me? 
Or,  Risk  your  lives  to  set  me  free  23 
From  any  violent  enemy  ? 

Instruct   me  ;    let    but   wisdom  24 

come  [am  dumb 

Even  from  your  mouths,  and  I 
To  hear  my  errors'  list  and  sum. 

How  mighty  is  wise  speech  and  25 

kind !  [blind 

But  what  avails   your  censure  26 
Of  desperate  words  that  are  as 
wind  ? 

So  in  a  pit-fall  might  a  knave    27 
Murder  a  friend,  and  by  his  grave 
Cast  lots,  his  orphans  to  enslave ! 
[The  friends   rise  to  depart   in 
offended  dignity.] 

Nay,  do  not  coldly  leavethe  place,  28 
But  look,  I  pray  you,  in  my  face  : 
Would  I  deceive  in  such  a  case  ? 

Return;  I  would  not  do  you      29 

wrong ; 
Return,  for  still    my  cause    is 

strong. 
Nor  is  there  evil  on  my  tongue.     SO 
[The  friends  return.] 


TO  THE  ALMIGHTY. 


Has  not  a  man  a  term  of  war- 
fare on  the  earth, 
and  are  not  his  days  as  the  days 
of  a  hireling  ? 


Man  is  a  soldier,  battle-scarred. 
Who  stands  his  weary  time  on 

guard — 
A  laborer,  waiting  his  reward. 


76 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[criAP.  VII. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

2  As  the   servant  pants  for   the 

shadow, 
and  as  the  hireling  longs  for  his 
wages ; 

3  so    I    am   allotted   months    of 

wretchedness, 
and  wearisome   nights   are  ap- 
pointed to  me. 

4  When  I  lie  down,  I  say : 

when  shall  I  arise,  and  the  night 

be  gone  ! 
and  I  am  weaned  with  tossings, 

till  the  morning. 

5  My  flesh   is   clothed   with  rot- 

tenness, and   clods  of  earth ; 
my  skin  closes  up,  and  breaks 
out  afresh. 

6  My  days   are    swifter    than    a 

weaver's  shuttle, 
and    consume    away     without 
hope. 

7  Remember  that  my  life  is   a 

breath ; 
my   eye   shall    not    again    see 
good. 

8  The  eye  of  him  that  sccth  me, 

shall  behold  no  more  ; 
thine  eyes  will  seek  me,  but  I 
shall  not  be, 

9  The  cloud  consumes  away,  and 

is  gone ; 
so   he   that   goes   down  to   the 
under  world,  shall   not   come 
up. 


PARATHRASE. 

The  slave  at  noon-day  pants  for     2 

shade ; 
The  hireling  longs  till  he  is  paid  ; 
So  I,   through  woeful  months     3 

delayed ! 

Wretched  I  cry,  my  couch  upon,     4 
Wlien  shall  I  rise,  and  night  he 

gone  ? 
And  toss  unresting  till  the  dawn. 

Through  the  foul  crust  upon  my     5 

flesh 
Mine  ulcers  ever  break  afresh  ; 
And,  like  a  shuttle  in  the  me.sh,     6 

My  days  shoot  swiftly  to  and  fro. 
Wasting  the  life-thread  as  they 

go 
To  weave  a  web  of  hopeless  woe ! 

Thou  know'st  my  life  is  like  a     7 

breath, 
That,  being  breathed  out,  scat- 

tereth, 
And   cannot  be   recalled    from 

death. 

No  good  mine  eyes  again  shall 

see; 
Nor  eyes  of  others  look  on  me —    8 
Though  Thine  eye  seek,  I  shall 

not  be! 

That  under-world,  where  clouds     9 

appear. 
When,    setting,    they   are    lost 

from  here, 
Holds  mortals  too,  in  exile  drear. 


CUAP.    VII.] 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


77 


REVISED   VERSION. 

10  He  shall  not  return  again  to  his 

house, 
and  his  place  shall  know  him  no 
more. 

11  As  for  me,  I  will  not  restrain 

my  mouth  ; 
I  will  speak  in  the  anguish  of 

my  spirit; 
I  will  complain  in  the  bitterness 

of  my  soul. 

12  Am  I  a  sea,  or  a  monster  of  the 

deep, 
that  thou  shouldst  set  a  watch 
over  me  ? 

13  When  I  say :  my  bed  shall  com- 

fort me, 
my  couch  shall  lighten  my  com- 
plaint : 

14  then    thou    scarest     me     with 

dreams, 
and  terrifiest  me  by  visions. 
16  So  that  my  soul  chooseth  stran- 
gling— 
death  rather  than  my  bones ! 
16  I  waste  away:  I  shall  not  always 
live ; 


PAEATHRASE. 

Whoso  descends  into  that  space,  10 
No  more  returns — his  very  face 
Forgot  in  each  familiar  place  ! 

Then  I  my  lips  will  not  restrain;  11 
I  will  speak  out  my  spirit's  pain, 
And  in  soul-bitterness  complain ! 

Must  thou  needs  watch  me  all  12 

the  while, 
Like  them  who  fear  the  floods 

of  Nile, 
Or  guard  against  the  crocodile  ? 

Amiso  dangerous — I,  who  creep  13 
To  bed,  and  say.  There's  rest  in 

sleep  ? 
Yet    through    my    dreams  thy  14 

terrors  sweep^ 

Till  I  would  rather  choose  to  die,  15 
Yea,  strangle  once  and  utterly, 
Than  wake  and  waste,  and  live 
thereby  ? 

And  death  comes  slowly,  with-  16 


cease    from   me :    for  my  days  I      out  cure ; 


[dure ; 


are  a  vapor. 
lY     What  is  man,  that  thou  shouldst 
magnify  him, 
and    set    thy    thoughts    upon 
him ; 

18  that  thou  shouldst  visit  him  ev- 

ery morning, 
shouldst,  every  moment,  try  him? 

19  How   long   wilt  thou   not  look 

away  from  me, 
nor  let  me  alone,  till  I  can  swal- 
low my  spittle? 


T  waste,  and  shall  not  long  en- 
Sparc;  for  the  vapor's  fate  is  sure ! 

Why  is  weak  man  so  magnified,  1*7 
Each  morn  reviewed,  each  rao-  18 

ment  tried,  [aside  ? 

And    never   from    thy   thought 

How  long  wilt  thou  not  turn  thy  19 

face  [grace 

Away   from   me   and  grant  me 
To  draw  mybreath  a  little  space  ? 


78 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.  viu. 


REVISED   TERSION. 

20  If  I  sin,  what  do  I  unto  thee, 

thou  observer  of  men  ? 
Wherefore  hast  thou  made  me 

tliy  mark, 
that  I  should  become  a  burden 

to  myself? 

21  and  wilt  thou  not  pardon  my 

transgression, 
and  remit  my  iniquity  ? 

22  For  soon,  I  shall  lie  down  in  the 

dust; 
and  thou  wilt  seek  me, — but  I 
shall  not  be. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Can    any    sin   of     mine     have  20 

weight 
To  make  thee  feel   the  burden 

great, 
And  mark  me  for  the  stroke  of 

fate? 

Pardon  my  sin.   Earth  waits  for  21 

me; 
And  though,  to  bless  me   tar-  22 

dily. 
Thou  seek  me  soon,  I  shall  not 

be! 


BILDAD. 


1  Then    answered    Bildad,    the 

Shuhite,  and  said: 

2  How  long  wilt  thou  speak  these 

things, 
and  the  words  of  thy  mouth  be 
a  strong  wind  ? 

3  Will  God  pervert  right, 

or    will   the   Almighty   pervert 
justice? 

4  Though  thy  sons  have   sinned 

against  him, 
and  he  hath  given  them  into  the 
power  of  their  transgression : 

5  if  thou  thyself  wouldst  seek  God, 
and   make   supplication   to   the 

Almighty ; 

6  if  thou  wert  pure  and  upright ; 
surely  even  now,  he  would  awake 

for  thee, 
and  make  thy  righteous  dwelling 
secure. 

7  Then,  though  th^-  beginning  be 

small, 
thy  end  shall  be  exceeding  great. 


now  long  wilt  thou  assert  thy     2 

cause. 
Thy  words  a    tempest  without 

pause  ? 
Will  God  pervert  Ilis  righteous     3 

laws  ? 

Doubtless  thy  sons  were  repro-    4 

bate. 
Delivered  to  the  sinner's  fate; 
Yet  thou  shalt  find  it  not   too     5 

late. 

If  thou   repent  and   make  thee     6 

pure ; 
Beseeching  God,  Ilis  mercy  sure 
Will  make  thy  rir/hteous  house 

secure ! 

Though  small  at  first  thy  lot  be     7 

cast. 
He  can  enlarge  thee  at  the  last, 
Exceeding  all  thy  glory  past. 


CHAP.  Tin.] 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


79 


REVISED   VERSION. 

8  For  inquire,  I  pray,  of  the  for- 

mer generations, 
and  note  what  their  fathers  have 
searched  out. 

9  For  we   are  of  yesterday,  and 

know  nothing, 
and  our  days  upon  earth  are  a 
shadow. 

10  Will  not  they  instruct  thee,  and 

tell  thee, 
and    utter  words    from    their 
heart : — 

11  Does  the  paper-rush  shoot  up, 

except  in  the  marsh  ? 
will  the  marsh-grass  grow  with- 
out water  ? 

12  While  yet  in  its  greenness,  and 

they  cut  it  not, 
it    drieth  up  sooner  than    any 
herb. 

13  So  are  the  ways  of  all  who  for- 

get God ; 
the  hope  of  the  impure  shall  per- 
ish. 

14  For  his  confidence  shall  be  cut 

off; 
and  his  trust,  it  is  a  spider's  web. 

15  He  shall  lean  upon  his  house, 

but  it  shall  not  abide  ; 
he  shall  lay  hold  on  it,  but  it 
shall  not  stand. 

16  He,  in  the  face  of  the  sun,  is 

green, 
and  his  sprouts  shoot  forth  over 
his  garden. 

17  Over  a  stone-heap  are  his  roots 

entwined ; 
he    sceth     the     habitation     of 
stones. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Ask    of    the    former    age,    I       8 

pray, 
And    listen    what    the    fathers 

say; 
We  are  but  shades  of  yester-     9 

day! 

But  they  will  teach  thee  what  10 

thou  art. 
With  words  deep  springing  from 

the  heart. 
Not   merely  from  the   lips  that 

start. 

The  rushes  and  the  flags  grow  II 

high 
And  rank ;  but,  when  the  pools 

are  dry. 
Before  all  grasses  faint  and  die.  12 

So  thrives  awhile,  his  God  forgot,   13 
The  wicked ;  so,  when  winds  are 

hot. 
Withers    and    dies    upon     the 

spot. 

His   trust,  a   cobweb-tent,  will  14 

bear 
No   weight — nor   clutch  of  his  15 

despair 
Can  stop  its   fluttering  in   the 

air! 

The  weed  grows  greenly  towards  16 

the  sun ; 
Its  branches  spring  forth  one  by 

one; 
Around   the   rocks   its   rootlets  17 

run. 


80 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[cnAP.  IX. 


RETISED    VERSION. 

1 8  When  he  shall  be  destroyed  from 

his  place, 
it  shall  deny  him ;  I  have  not 
seen  thee. 

19  Lo,    that    is   the  joy   of    his 

way  ; 
and  from  the  dust  shall  otiiers 
sprout  up. 

20  Lo,    God    will   not    ?purn   the 

upright, 
nor  take  hold  of  the  hand  of  the 
wicked. 

21  While  he  fills  thy  mouth  with 

laughter, 
and  thy  lips  with  rejoicing, 

22  they    that   hate    thee  shall  be 

clothed  with  shame : 
but  the  habitation  of  the  wicked, 
— it  comes  to  naught. 


PARATHRASE. 

It  dies:  the  stones   its  memory  18 

flout! 
Behold   its   only  joy — that   out  19 
Of  its  dead  dust  new  weeds  shall 

sprout ! 

Lo !  God  the  good  will  not  dis-  20 
tress 

(Nor  clasp  the  hand  of  wicked- 
ness!) 

Repent,  and  smiles  thy  mouth  21 
shall  bless, 

While  shame  upon  thy   foes   is  22 

■    sent ; 

But   ruin   shakes    the    sinner's 

tent — 
Dost  thou   invite   such   punish-  ' 

ment? 


JOB. 


1  Then  answered  Job,  and  said  : 

2  Of    a   truth,    I    know    that    it 

is  so ; 
for  how  can  man  be  just  with 
God?" 

3  If  he  should  desire  to  contend 

with  him, 
he  could  not  answer  him,  for  one 
of  a  thousand. 

4  Wise  in  heart  and  strong  in  pow- 

er! 
who  withstands  him,  and   is  se- 
cure ? 

5  He  that  removeth  mountains,  ere 

they  are  aware ; 
who  overturncth  thorn  in  his  an- 
ger. 


Indeed !  I  know  the  lesson  true,     2 
And  could   recite,  as  well  as 

you, 
God's  power,  and  man's  weak- 
ness too ! 

How  can  a  mortal  juslify 
Himnelf  to  God  and  make  reply      3 
Once,   though  a  thousand  times    ■ 
he  try  ? 

God^s  wisdom  is  profound  and    4 
sure  ; 

Hit  strength   is   mighty  and  se- 
cure ; 

Who    can    withstand   Him   and 
endure? 


CHAP.    IX.] 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


81 


REVISED   VERSION. 

6  He  that  makes  the  earth  to  trem- 

ble from  its  place ; 
and  the  pillars  thereof  arc  sha- 
ken. 

7  He  that  bids  the  sun,  and  it  shin- 

eth  not,  . 

'  and  scaleth  up  the  stars ; 

8  He    spread    out    the    heavens, 

alone, 
and  treads  upon  the  heights  of 
sea. 

9  He  made  the  Bear,  Orion,  and 

the  Pleiads, 
and  the  secret  chambers  of  the 
South. 

10  He  docth  great  things,  beyond 

searching  out, 
and  wonders,  without  number. 

11  Lo,  he  goes  by  me,  but  I  see 

him  not : 
he  passes  along,  but  I  do  not 
perceive  him. 

12  Lo,  he  seizes  the  prey  ;  who  shall 

hinder  him  ? 
who  will  say  to  him:  What  do- 
cst  thou  ? 

13  God    will    not    turn    away   his 

anger ; 
proud    helpers     bow     beneath 
it. 

14  Should  I  then  answer  him, — 
choose   out  my  words   against 

him? 

15  Whom,  though  I  be  righteous,  I 

would  not  answer ; 
I  would  make  supplication  to  my 
judge. 
IC  If    I   called   and    he   answered 
me 


PARAPHRASE. 

The  mountains  unawares  He  takes     5 
With  fierce  upheaval,  and    He 

makes 
Earth  tremble,  and  her  pillars     6 

shakes. 

The  sun  is  dark  at  His  behest,  7 

And  stars  are  sealed,  and  skies     8 

compressed — 
He  treads  the  sea,  from  crest  to 

crest. 

He  made  Orion  and  the  Seven,         9 
The  Great  Bear    of  the  North — 

yea,  even 
The  chambers  of  the   Southern 

heaven, 

\\7iere  secret  stars  unseen  are  lit : 
His  purpose,  who  can  fathom  it?  10 
His  wondrous  works  are  infinite  ! 


Me  He  assails,  unseen  His  way ;  1 1 
He  presses  on  to  seize  the  prey ;  12 
What  docst  thou  ?  none  dare  to 
say. 

His    anger  will   not   cease   to     13 

lower ; 
The  proudest  champions  shrink 

and  cower; 
Shall  /seek  words  to  brave  His  14 

power  ? 

Though  righteous,  I  would  beg  15 

for  grace. 
Not  sue  for  justice,  face  to  face; 
For,  though  lie  answered  in  my  IG 

case, 


82 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.   IX. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

I  would  not  believe  that  he  lis- 
tened to  my  voice. 

17  For  he  dashes  me  in  pieces  with 

a  tempest,  [out  cause, 

and  multiplies  my  wounds  with- 

18  He  will  not  sufiFer  me  to  recov- 

er my  breath  ; 
but  fills  me  with  bitter  plagues. 

19  If  it  be  of  might,  lo  he  is  the 

Strong ! 
and  if  of  right,  who  will  appoint 
me  a  time  ? 

20  Though  I  were  righteous,  myown 

mouth  would  condemn  me ; 
if  I  were  perfect,  he  would  show 
me  perverse. 

21  Though  perfect,  I  should  take  no 

thought  for  myself, 
nor  should  I  value  my  life. 

22  It  is  all  the  same ;  therefore  I 

say, 
he  consumes  the  righteous  and 
the  wicked. 

23  When  the  scourge  shall  sudden- 

ly destroy, 
he  mocks  at  the  distress  of  the 
innocent. 

24  The  earth  is  given  into  the  hand 

of  the  wicked ; 
the  face  of  its  judges  he  vails  ; 
if  not,  who  then  is  it  ? 

25  My  days  are  swifter  than  a  run- 

ner; 
they  are  fled,  and  have  seen  no 
good. 

26  They  have  passed  by,  like  the 

recd-skiffs ; 
as   the   eagle     darts    upon    its 
prey. 


PARAPHRASE. 

I   could  not   trust  him,   while 

alarm. 
Tempest  and  wounds  come  from  17 

His  arm. 
And  strangling,  and  full  bitter  18 

harm ! 

If  might  rules — lo !   He   is  the  19 

Strong ! 
If   right — when    could  I  prove 

Him  wrong  ? 
Betrayed  by  mine  own  stammer-  20 

ing  tongue. 

And  proved  perverse,  in  my  dis- 
may, 

I  should  not  know  myself  that  21 
day, 

And,  reckless,  cast  my  life  away. 

What  boots  it  ?  His  quick  scour-  22 

ges  fall 
On  good  and  bad,  destroying  all ; 
He  mocks  the  guiltless  victims'  23 

call! 

The   world   He  yields    to    evil  24 

might ; 
Of  them  who  judge.  He  veils  the 

sight. 
Lest  they  should  see  and  judge 

aright ! 

If  not,  who    is  it  ?— Swift   the  25 

while 
As   swooping   eagles,   skiffs   of  26 

Nile, 
Or  couriers,   running    mile   on 

mile, 


onAP.  X.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


83 


REVISED   VERSION. 

27  If  I  say :  I  will  forget  my  com- 

plaining, 
I  will  change  my  aspect,  and  be 
joyous : 

28  then    I    shudder     at     all     my 

woes; 
I  know  thou  wilt  not  declare  me 
innocent. 

29  I,  I  am  accounted  guilty ; 

why  then  should  I  weary  myself 
in  vain  ! 

30  Though  I  wash  myself  in  snow- 

water, 
and   cleanse    my    hands     with 
lye; 

31  then,  thou  wilt  plange  me  into 

the  pit, 
and    my  clothes   would    abhor 
me. 

32  For  he  is  not  man,  like  me,  that 

I  should  answer  him  ; 
that  we  should  enter  into  judg- 
ment together. 

33  There   is   no    arbiter    between 

us, 
that  might  lay  his  hand  upon  us 
both. 

34  Let  him  turn  away  his  rod  from 

me, 
that  the  dread  of  him  may  not 
overawe  me : 

35  I  will   speak   and   will   not  be 

afraid  of  him ; 
for  not  so  am  I,  in  myself. 
1     My  soul  is  weary  of  my  life ; 
I  will   give  free  course  to  my 

complaint ; 
I  will  speak  in  the  bitterness  of 

soul. 


PARAPHRASE. 

My  days  go  by  ;  and  if  I  fain       27 
Would    cease  to   murmur  and 
complain,  [pain ! 

How  quick  returns  each  pang  of  28 

I  know  that  Thou  wilt  not  ac- 
quit ! 
Thy  doom  upon  my  soul  doth  sit :  29 
Why  should  I  strive  to  lighten 
it? 

Though  I  be  cleansed  with  snow  30 

and  lye. 
What  shall  I  haply  gain  thereby  ? 
Thou  wilt  but  plunge  me  sud-  31 

denly 

Into  the  slime,  to  make  me  more 
Wretched  and   loathsome  than 

before — 
Whom     mine     own     garments 

would  abhor ! 

For   God  is   God.     No  umpire  32 

stands 
To  lay  on  God  and  me  His  hands,  33 
And  hear,  and  judge  of  our  de- 
mands ! 

It  is  not  guilt  doth  make  me  (35) 

weak. 
Let  Him  but  cease  His  wrath  to  34 

wreak,  [speak ! 

And,   free  from    terror,  I  will  35 

Yet,  life  is  all  I  have  to  lose ;         1 
And  death  is  what  I  fain  would 

choose : 
Despair's  full  freedom  I  will  use ! 


84 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

2  I  will  say  unto  God,  do  not  hold 

me  gviilty ; 
show  nic,  wherefore   thou   ccin- 
tendcst  with  me. 

3  Does  it  seem  good  to  thoe,  that 

thou  shouldst  oppress, 
shouldst  contemn  the  work  of  thy 

hands, 
and  shine  upon  the  counsel  of 

the  wicked  ? 

4  Hast  thou  eyes  of  flesh, 

or  secst  thou  as  man  seeth  ? 

5  Are  thy  days  as  man's  days, 

or  are  thy  years  as  the  days  of  a 
man  ? 

6  That  thou   shouldst  seek  after 

my  iniquity, 
and  shouldst  search  for  my  sin  ; 
V  though  thou  knowest  I  am  not 

wicked,  [hand, 

and  none  can  deliver  from  thy 

8  Thy  hands  have  fashioned  me, 

and  made  me, 
in  every  part ;  and  yet  thou  dost 
destroy  me  ! 

9  Remember  now,  that  thou  hast 

formed  me,  as  with  clay  ; 
and  wilt  thou  bring  me  to  dust 
again  ? 

10  Didst  thou  not  make  me  flow  as 

milk, 
and  thicken  like  the  curd  ; — 

11  clothe  me  with  skin  and  flesh, 
with   bones   and    sinews   inter- 
weave me  ? 

12  Life  and  favor  thou  hast  granted 

me, 
and   thy  providence    has    pre- 
served my  spirit. 


PARAPHRASE. 

To  God  I'll  say :   Condemn  me    2 

not !  \liol  ? 

Say,  wherefore  is   Thine   anger 
Shall  tyranny  Thy  greatness  blot?     3 

Wouldst    thou     Thy    handiwork 

despise. 
And  torture  me  to  tell  Thee  lies 
As  tvicked  me7i  do?     Are  T/iine    4 

eyes 

Short-sighted  like  their  eyes,  for- 
sooth, 

Or  does  Thine  age  so  chase  Thy     5 
youth,  [truth. 

Thou   hast  no  time  to  find  ilie 

T/iat  Thou  dost  seek  iniquity,  6 

Who  knowest  it  is  7iot  in  me,  */ 

And  couldst  not  lose  me,  were  I 
free  ? 

Wilt  Thou,  who  fashi07ied$t  every     8 

part — 
A  potter,    moulding    clay    with     9 

art — 
Crush  me  to  dust,  as  at  the  start  ? 

As  milk,  didst  Thou  not  make  me  10 

fow  [grow. 

And    thicken,    as   the   citrds   do 
Then  robes  offesh  around  me  11 
throw, 

With  bones  and  sincivs  lace  the 

whole. 
And  grant,  the  body  to  control,       12 
Tlie  crowning  grace  of  life  and 

soldi 


CHAP.    X.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


85 


REVISED    VERSION. 

13  Yet  these  things  thou  didst  hide 

in  thy  heart ; 
I  know  that  this  was  in  thy  mind. 

14  If  I  sin,  thou  observest  me, 
and  will  not  absolve  me  from 

my  guilt. 

15  If  I  am  wicked,  woe  unto  me  ! 
and  if  righteous,  I  may  not  lift 

my  head, 
filled  with  shame,  and  the  sight 
of  my  misery ! 

16  If  it  Uft  itself  up,  thou  dost  hunt 

me  like  the  lion, 
and   show  again  thy  wondrous 
power  upon  me. 

17  Thou    renewest    thy  witnesses 

against  me, 
and    increasest  thy  displeasure 

toward  me, 
with     host     succeeding     host 

against  me. 

18  Why  then  didst  thou  bring  me 

forth  from  the  womb  ? 
I  should  have  died  and  no  eye 
would  have  seen  me. 

19  I  should  be  as  if  I  had  not  been; — 
should  have  been  borne  from  the 

womb  to  the  grave. 

20  Are  not  my  days  few  ?     Let 

him  forbear! 
let  him  withdraw  from  me,  that 
I  may  rejoice  a  little  while : 

21  before  I  shall  go,  and  not  return  ; 
to  the  land  of  darkness  and  of 

death-shade ; 

22  a  land  of  gloom  like  the  thick 

darkness, 
of  death-shade,  without  order  ; 
and  the  light  is  as  thick  darkness. 


PARAPHRASE. 

And  this  was  always   Thine  in-  13 

tent — 
If  I  should  sin,  swift  punishment,  14 
And  nothing  less  if  innocent ! 

My  righteous  head,  shame-bowed  15 

to  see 
Mine  own  exceeding  misery, 
I  may  not  lift  for  dread  of  Thee  ! 

Or  if  to  raise  it  I  should  dare,       16 
Thou  spr ingest  from  a  lioti^s  lair 
To  prove  Thy  strength  and  my 
despair  ! 

New  griefs  TTiou  sendest  upon  old,  lY 
Witness  Thine  anger  manifold — 
Host  upon  host,  agaiiist  me  rolled  ! 

Why  didst  Thou  make  my  life  18 

heghi  ? 
Better,  an  instant  grave  within, 
To  he  as  if  I  had  not  been  !  19 

My  days  are  few.     Let  God  for-  20 

bear, 
A  little  space  from  torment  spare, 
A  little  joy  from  woe  and  care. 

Let  Him    withdraw    His   hand,  21 

before  [shore 

To  yonder  dark  and    shadowy 
I  journey,  to  return  no  more ! 

A  land  of  death-shade  without  22 

light; 
A  land  of  dim,  disordered  sight, 
Where  moruing  is  as  dark  as 

night  I 


86 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.    XI. 


ZOPHAR. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

1  Then   answered     Zophar,   the 

Naamathite,  and  said: 

2  Shall  the  multitude  of  words  not 

be  answered  ? 
or  shall  a  man  of  talk  be  account- 
ed right  ? 

3  Shall  thy  boastings  put  men  to 

silence, 
that  thou    mayest    mock,   and 
none  make  thee  ashamed  ; 

4  and  say  :  My  doctrine  is  pure, 
and  I  am  clean  in  thy  sight  ? 

5  But,   would    that   God   would 

speak, 
and    open     his     lips      against 
thee : 

6  and  would  show  thee  the  secrets 

of  wisdom, 

how  manifold  is  understand- 
ing; 

then  shalt  thou  know,  that  God 
remembers  not  all  thy  guilt 
against  thee. 

7  Canst  thou  find  out  the  deep 

things  of  God, 
or  find  out  the  Almighty,  to  per- 
fection ? 

8  It  is  as  high  as  heaven  ;  what 

canst  thou  do  ? 
deeper  than  the    under-world 
what  canst  thou  know  ? 

9  longer  than   the    earth,   in   its 

measure, 
and  broader  than  the  sea ! 
10  If  he  pass  by,  and  shall  appre- 
hend, 
and  call  an  assembly,  who  will 
answer  him  ? 


PARAPHRASE. 

Shall  many  words  pass   unde-    2 

nied — 
A  man  of  talk  be  justified 
To  silence  us  with  boastful  pride,     3 

That  thou  may'st  mock,  devoid 

of  shame. 
In  spite  of  God   pure   doctrine    4 

claim. 
And  life  unstained  by  any  blame  ? 

Let  Him  but    speak,  to    show     5 

thee  all 
His  secrets  deep,  and  thou  shalt     6 

call 
His  judgment  for  thy  guilt  too 

small ! 

His  wisdom — can  thy  vain  pur-    T 

suit 
Ever  lay  bare  its  hidden  root, 
Or  bring  its  summit  under  foot  ? 

'Tis  high  as  heaven ;  what  canst     8 

thou  do  ? 
'Tis  deeper  than  the  world  below; 
What  canst  thou  of  its  secrets 

know? 

Longer  than  earth's  far  limits  be,     9 
It  lies  in  its  immensity. 
And  broader  than  the  boundless 
sea ! 


If  God  the  sinner  apprehend 
His  dread  tribunal  to  attend. 
Who   dares  the   culprit's    case 
defend  ? 


10 


CHAP.    XI.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


87 


REVISED   VERSION. 

11  For  he,  he  knows  evil  men; 
and  sees  iniquity,  when  he  seems 

not  to  regard  it. 

12  But  vain  man  is  void  of  under- 

standing ; 
a  foal  of  the  wild  ass,  is  man  from 
his  birth. 

13  And  thou,  if  thou  direct  thy 

heart, 
and  spread  forth  thy  hands,  un- 
to him ; — 

14  If  iniquity  is  in  thy  hand,  put  it 

far  away, 
and  let  not  wrong  abide  in  thy 
dwellings ; — 

15  surely,  then  shalt  tliou  lift  thy 

face  without  spot, 
and  be  steadfast  and  shalt  not 
fear. 

16  For  thou  shalt  forget  sorrow ; 
as    waters   passed   away,  shalt 

thou  remember  it. 
l"/  And  brighter  than  noonday,  shall 
life  arise ; 
and  darkness   shall  become  as 
the  morning. 

18  Then  wilt  thou   trust,  because 

there  is  hope ; 
yea,  thou  wilt  search,  and   lie 
down  without  fear. 

19  Thou    shalt   repose,  and  none 

make  thee  afraid, 
yea,    many    shall    make    their 
court  to  thee. 

20  But  the  eyes  of  the  wicked  shall 

waste  away  ; 

refuge  vanishes  from  them  ; 

and  their  hope,  it  is  the  breath- 
ing out  of  life. 


rARATIIRASE. 

Forlo!  He  knoweth  evil  men,      11 
And  seeth  their  misdoings,  when 
They  seem  beyond  His  look  or 
ken. 

But  what  can  foolish  man  com-  12 

mand — 
A  wild  colt  foaled  in  desert  sand, 
Nor  ever  trained  to  understand  ? 


And  thou,  if  thou  submit,  confess,  13 
Repent,  reform,  and  make  redress 
Of  whatsoever  wickedness,  14 

Nor  let  it  in  thy  tents  remain, — 
Then  surely  thou  shalt  lift  again  15 
A'steadfast  face,  without  a  stain ! 

No  fear,  no  memory  shall  stay      16 
Of  all  thy  sorrows,  passed  away 
Like  waters  flowing  yesterday. 

And  brighter  than    the    noon-  17 

day  skies 
Thy  new  life-morning  shall  arise. 
To  fill  with  hope  and  trust  thine  18 

eyes. 

Thy  search  shall  find  no  lurking 

foes ; 
No  fear  shall  trouble  thy  repose,  19 
While  flattery's  throng  thy  great- 
ness shows. 

But    wicked    eyes    shall  waste  20 

with  fear 
To  see  each  refuge  disappear, 
Their    hope — that    life's     last 

breath  is  near. 


88 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.    XII. 


JOB. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

1  Then  Job  answered  and  Baid  : 

2  of  a  truth,  ye  are  the  people ; 
and  with  3'ou  wisdom  will  die ! 

3  I   also  have  understanding,   as 

well  as  you ; 
I  am  not  inferior  to  you  : 
and  who  has  not  such  things  as 

these. 

4  I   am  become  one,  that  is   a 

mockery  to  his  friends ; 
who  has  called  upon  God,  and  he 

answered ; 
a  mockery  is  the  just  and  the 

upright ! 

5  There  is  scorn  for  misfortune,  in 

the  thought  of  the  secure, 
ready  for  those  who  waver  in 
their  steps. 

6  Peaceful   are   the  tents  of  the 

spoilers, 
and  secure  are  they  that  provoke 

God,—  [eth. 

he  into  whose  hand  God  bring- 

7  But  ask   now  the   beasts,   and 

they  will  teach  thee ; 
and    the  birds  of  heaven,   and 
they  will  show  thee. 

8  Or  speak   to  the  earth,  and  it 

will  teach  thee ; 
and  the  fishes  of  the  sea  will  tell 
it  thee. 

9  Wlio  knows  not,  by  all  these, 
that  the  hand  of  Jehovah  does 

this; 
10  in  whose  hand  is  the  breath  of 
all  living,  [man  ? 

and  the  spirit  of  all  the  flesh  of 


PARAPHRASE. 

Indeed,  ye  are  the  people,  who     2 
Being  dead,  good-by  to  wisdom 

too! 
Yet  I  am  not  less  wise  than  you  ;     3 

And   I   need     take    no    lower 

stand —  [mand 

Nay,  who  has  not  at  his  com- 

Such  old  familiar  truths  on  hand  ? 

Yet  am  I  sunk  to  such  a  plight,      4 
Who  dealt  with  God,  and  walked 

upright — 
Mocked  by  my  friends  with  bab- 
blings trite  ! 

So  scornfully  the  fortunate  flout     5 
The  unhappy,  tottering  about, 
A  torch  that  flickers  to  go  out ! 

Yet  peaceful  dwells  the  spoiler's     6 

horde,  [Lord 

And  safely     they  provoke   the 
Whose  only   God  is   their  own 
sword ! 

Ask  beasts  of  earth,  and  birds  7 

of  air. 

Or  fish  of  sea  :  they  will  declare  8 

Jehovah's  power  is  everywhere.  9 

The   breath  of  life    is   in    His  10 
hand. 

The  souls  of  man  He  doth  com- 
mand. 

And    doeth   all   things,    as   He 
planned. 


onAP.  sii.] 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


89 


REVISED   VERSION. 

11  Docs  not  the  ear  try  words, 
even  as  the  palate  tastes  food  for 

itself? 

12  Among  the  aged,  is  wisdom  ? 
and  is  length    of    days  under- 
standing ?  [might ; 

13  With    him    are    wisdom    and 
to  him  belong  counsel  and  un- 
derstanding. 

14  Lo,  he  casts  down,  and  it  shall 

not  be  built  up  ; 
he  shuts  up  a  man,  and  he  shall 
not  be  set  free. 

15  Lo,  he  withholds  the  waters,  and 

they  dry  away ; 

and  be  sends    them  forth,  and 
they  lay  waste  the  earth. 
IG  With  him  are  strength  and  coun- 
sel ;  [err,  are  his. 

the  erring,  and  he  that  causes  to 

17  He  leads  counsellors  captive, 
and  judges  he  makes  fools. 

18  The  girdle  of  kings  he  looses, 
and  binds  acord  upon  their  loins. 

19  Priests  he  leads  captive  ; 

and   the    long    established    he 
overthrows.  [speech, 

20  The    trusted    he    deprives    of 
and  takes  away  the  wisdom  of 

the  aged. 

21  He  pours  contempt  upon  nobles, 
and  looses   the   girdle   of    the 

strong. 

22  Deep  things  he  reveals,  out  of 

the  darkness, 
and    the    shadow  of  death    he 
brings  forth  to  light. 

23  He  gives  the  nations  growth,  and 

he  destroys  them ; 


PAKAPHRASE. 

Cannot     the      ear     distinguish  11 

sound — 
The  palate,  taste?  Is  sense  pro-  12 

found 
To  age  alone  confined  and  bound? 


With  Him  are  strength  and  skill  13 

and  lore  ; 
He  castfth  down,  and  none  restore;  14 
No  prisoner  lifts  His  dungeon- 
door  .' 

He  maketh,  as  He  deemeth  good,     15 
The  waters  dry  up  where  they 

stood. 
Or  sends  them  forth  a  wasting 

fiood. 

With  Him  almighty  counsel  is  ;      16 
Deceiver  and  deceived  are  His  ; 
The  wise  in  man's  authorities       17 


His 


He 


Barefoot   behind 

brings  ; 
He  makes  of  judges  witless  things, 
And  chains  for  girdles  hangs  on  18 

kings  ; 

Priestcraft  overturns,  and  ancient  19 

rights  ; 
The  old,  the    wiie,   with    dumb-  20 

ness  smites  ; 
Unbelts     i 

knights. 


scorn    the    noblest  21 


Out  of  the  darkness  He  doth  call   22 
Deep    dreadful    things — desti'uc- 

tion''s  pall, 
TJie  rise  of  natimis  and  their  fall.  23 


90 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.  xiu. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

he  extends  the  bounds  of  na- 
tions, and  he  leads  them 
away. 

24  The  leaders  of  the  people  of  the 

land  he   deprives  of    under- 
standing, 
and  makes   them  wander   in  a 
pathless  waste. 

25  They  grope  in    darkness,   and 

there  is  no  light ; 
he    makes     them   reel    like    a 
drunken  man. 

1  Lo,  my  eye  has  seen  it  all ; 
my  ear  has  heard,  and  perceived 

it. 

2  What  ye  know,  I  know  also ; 
I  am  not  inferior  to  you. 

3  But  I,  to  the  Almighty  will   I 

speak ; 
unto  God,  I  desire  to  make  my 
plea. 

4  But  ye, — forgers  of  lies, 
botchers   of   vanities, — are    ye 

all. 

5  Would   that  ye  would  be  alto- 

gether silent ; . 
for    it    would    be    your    wis- 
dom. 

6  Hear  now  my  defense  ; 

and  listen  to  the  pleadings  of 
my  lips. 

7  Will  ye,  for   God,  speak    that 

which  is  wrong, 
and  for  him  will  ye  utter  de- 
ceit? 
S  Will  ye  regard  his  person, 
or  will  ye  contend  for  God  ? 
9  Is  it  well,  that  he  should  search 
you  out  ? 


PARAPHRASE. 

He  bids  them  grow,  extends  their 

bounds, 
Then  leads  them  captive,  and  con-  24 

founds 
Their   leaders,   lost    in  pathless 

rounds. 

Tliey  grope,  and  cannot  see  or  25 

feel; 
Dense  shadows  all  their  way  con- 

ceal ; 
Like  drunken    men   He    makes 

them  reel. 


Mine  eye,  mine  ear,  have  caught     1 

it  too ; 
Ye    cannot    tell    me    what    is     2 

new — 
I  need   not   bow   the    knee   to 

you ! 

To  God   I'd  speak.     Ye  weave     3 

but  lies 
To  patch  them  into  vanities.  4 

Be  still,  and  men  may  deem  you     5 

wise ! 

Yet    hear    my    cause.     Do    ye    6 

think  meet 
To  speak  for  God  with  foul  dc-     7 

ceit. 
In  flattery  of  Ilis  strength  com-     8 

plete, 

Corruptly  taking  power's  part  ? 
What  if  He  came  to  search  your     9 

heart? 
Could  ye  cheat  Him  with  human 

art? 


CHAP.    XIII.] 


777^  BOOK  OF   JOB. 


91 


REVISED    VERSION. 

or,  as  a  man  is  deceived,  can  ye 
deceive  him  ? 

10  lie  will  surely  rebuke  you, 

if  ye   secretly  have   regard   for 
persons. 

1 1  Shall  not  his  majesty  make  you 

afraid, 
and  the  dread  of  him  fall  upon 
you? 

12  Your  wise    sayings, — they   are 

maxims  of  ashes ; 
your  towers  of  defense  are  tow- 
ers of  clay. 

13  Keep  silence  before  me,  that  I 

now  may  speak  : 
and  let  come  upon    me  what 
will. 

14  Why  do  I  take  my  flesh  in  my 

teeth, 
and  put  my  life  in  my  hand  ? 

1 5  Behold,  he  will  slay  me  ;  I  may 

not  hope : 
yet,  in  his  presence,  I  will  de- 
fend my  ways. 

16  And  he  too  will  be  my  deliver- 

ance ; 
for  the  impure  shall  not  come 
before  him. 

17  Hear  attentively  my  speech, 
and  that  which  I  declare  in  your 

ears. 

18  Behold  now,  I  have  made  ready 

my  cause ; 
I     know     that     I     am      inno- 
cent. 

19  Who  is  he  that  can  contend  with 

me? 
For  then  I  would  be  siluut,  and 
die. 


PARAPHRASE. 

He  will  chastise  with  blows  that  10 

burn; 
Your  fawning  friendship  He  will 

spurn; 
Do  ye  not  dread  His  awful  scorn  ?  1 1 

Your  learned  saws  will  shrivel  all  12 
To  ashes,  and  your  shields  will  fall 
Mere  heaps   of  clay,  when  He 

shall  call ! 
[The   friends  attempt  to  inter- 
rupt him.] 

Nay,  hold  your  peace  ;  for  I  will  13 

speak. 
Whatever  fate  may  overtake 
My  speech,  or  strike  me  for  its 

sake. 

Why  should  I  bear  my  life  away  14 
As  desperate  beasts  their  per- 
iled prey, 
Or  warriors    breaking    through 
the  fray  ? 

'Twere  vain.     My  hopeless  doom  15 

is  near. 
Yet  this  remains — to  be  sincere, 
Defend  my  ways,  and  make  Him 

hear! 

Yea,  He  shall  hear,  and  show  me  16 

grace,  [fiicc ! 

Since  hypocrites  must  shun  His 
Then  listen  ye  unto  my  case !        17 


Lo,  I  am  here  my  cause  to  try,  18 
And  innocent — who  dares  deny  ?  19 
If  not,  I  would  be  still,  and  die. 


92 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[cnAP.  XIV. 


REVISED    VERSION. 

20  Only  two  things  do  tbou  not  un- 

to me; 
then  will  I  not  hide  myself  from 
thee. 

21  Thy   band    remove    thou  from 

upon  me, 
and  let  not  thy  terror  make  me 
afraid : 

22  then  call  thou,   and  I  will   an- 

swer; 
or  I  will  speak,  and  answer  tbou 
me. 

23  How  many  are  my   iniquities 

and  sins  ? 
My   transgression   and    my  sin 
make  known  to  me. 

24  Wherefore  dost  thou  hide  thy 

face, 
and    regard   me   as   thine   ene- 
my? 

25  A  driven  leaf  wilt  thou  put  in 

fear, 
and  pursue  the  dry  chaff? 

26  For  thou   writest   bitter  things 

against  me, 
and  makest  me  inherit  the  sins 
of  my  youth : 

27  and  puttcst  my  feet  in  the  stocks, 
and  watcbest  all  my  paths ; 
thou  settest  a  bound  to  the  soles 

of  my  feet. 

28  And  he,  as  rottenness,  shall  waste 

away; 
as  a  garment,  which  the  moth 
consumes. 

1  Man,  of  woman  born, 

is  of  few  days  and  full  of  trouble. 

2  Like  a  flower  he  goes  forth,  and 

is  cut  oif; 


PARAPHRASE. 

Let  not  thy  hand  of  pain  be-  (21) 

numb 
And  choke  my  speech — nor,  if 

Thou  come,  [dumb ! 

With   sudden    glory   strike    me 

So  spared,  I  will  not  hide  my  20 

brow,  [now ; 

But  give  Thee  instant  answer  22 
Or  I  will  speak,  and  answer  Thou ! 

How  many  sins  and  faults  and  23 

flaws 
Are  charged  to  me,  that  Thou 

hast  cause 
For  wrath  and    battle    without  24 

pause? 

A  withered  leaf,  the  wind  before,  25 
Dry  chaff,  from  out  the  thresh- 
ing-floor, [more, 
Wilt  Thou   pursue  to  fright  it 

That    Thou    dost   make   indict-  26 
ment  hot 

Of  sins  bequeathed  by  youth  for- 
got— 

Holdest  thy  victim  on  the  spot,    27 

A  prisoner  in  the  stocks  alway, 
Guarded  and  watched,  until  the  28 

day 
He  finds  deliverance  in  decay  ? 

Man  born  of  woman — ah,  how     1 

brief  [grief! 

And  few  his   days,  yet   full   of 
The    flower     that     AvUs     with      2 
shriveled  leaf, 


CHAP.    XIV.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


93 


REVISED   VERSION. 

he  fleeth   as   the   shadow,  and 
abideth  not. 

3  And  on  such  an  one  opencst  thou 

thine  eyes, 
and  me  dost   thou   bring   into 
judgment  with  thee  ? 

4  Who  can  show  a  clean  thing,  out 

of  the  unclean? 
There  is  not  one ! 

5  If  his  days  are  determined, 

if  the  number  of  his  months  is 
before  thee ; 

6  if  thou  hast  set  his  bounds,  that 

he  cannot  pass ; 

look  away  from  him,  that  he  may 
rest, 

so  that  he  may  enjoy,  as  a  hire- 
ling, his  day. 
T    For  there  is  hope  for  the  tree, 

if  it  be  cut  down,  that   it  will 
flourish  again, 

and  that  its  sprout  will  not  fail. 

8  Though  its  root  become  old  in 

the  earth, 
and  its  trunk  die  in  the  ground ; 

9  through  the  scent  of  water  it  will 

bud,  [li"g- 

and  put  forth  boughs  like  a  sap- 

10  But  man  dies,  and  wastes  away ; 
yea,  man  expires,  and  where  is 

he! 

11  "Waters  fail  from  the  pool, 

and  the  stream  decays  and  dries 
up: 

12  so  man  lies  down,  and  will  not 

arise ; 
till  the  heavens   are  no  more, 

they  will  not  awake, 
nor  be  roused  from  their  sleep. 


PARAPHRASE. 

The  shadow,  changing  with  the 

time, 
Are   emblems    of   his    passing 

prime : 
Such  weakness  dost  Thou  watch     3 

for  crime  ? 

Me  wouldst  Thou  try  by  stern- 
est law  ? — 

Who  e'er  from  source  imperfect    4 
saw 

A  life  proceed  without  a  flaw  ? 

If  Thou  hast  fixed  my  change-     5 

less  fate, 
At    least   give    respite  while  I     6 

wait. 
Nor  make  the  hireling's  toil  too 

great ! 

The  tree  cut  down  may  sprout     7 

again, 
Yea,  old  and  dry  in  root  and     8 

grain, 
May    spring  anew    at  scent  of    9 

rain. 

But  man  expires,  and  where  is  10 

he? 
Like   waters  we  no  more  shall  11 

see. 
From  pool  or  stream  gone  utter- 

ly. 

So  man  in  death  unwaking  lies,    12 
Nor    from    his    slumber    shall 

arise, 
While   yet  endure    the  eternal 

skies ! 


94 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.  XIV. 


REVISED   TERSION. 

13  0  that  thou  wouldst  hide  me  in 

the  under-world, 
wouldst  conceal  me  till  thy  wrath 

is  past, 
wouldst  appoint  mc  a  time,  and 

remember  me. 

14  If  a  man  die,  will  he  live  again? 
All  the  days  of  my  warfare  would 

I  wait, 
until  my  change  come. 

15  Thou  wilt  call,  and  I  will  answer 

thee; 
thou  wilt  yearn  towards  the  work 
of  thy  hands. 

16  For  now,  thou  numberest   my 

steps ; 
dost  thou  not  watch  for  my  sin  ? 

17  My  transgression  is  sealed  up  in 

a  bag; 
and  thou  sewest  up  my  iniquity. 

18  But  the  mountain  falling  crum- 

bles, 
and  the  rock  is  removed  out  of 
its  place. 

19  Water  wears  out  the  stones ; 

its  floods  sweep  away  the  dust 

of  the  earth ;  [man. 

so  thou  destroyest  the  hope  of 

20  Thou  assailest  him  continually, 

and  he  goes  hence ; 
thou  changest  his  countenance, 
and  sendest  him  away. 

21  His  sons  come  to  honor,  and  he 

knows  it  not; 
and  they  arc  brought  low,  but  he 
heeds  them  not. 

22  Only,  his  flesh  for  itself  shall 

have  pain,  [mourn, 

and    his    soul   for    itself  shall 


PAKAPHRASE. 

(0  hide  me  but  on  Sheol's  shore,  13 
And  call    me  back,  thy  wrath 

being  o'er — 
Vain  thought !  the  dead  return  14 

no  more — 

Yet  were  it  thus,  my  term  to 

learn 
Patient  I'd  wait,  till  Thou  didst  15 

yearn 
And  call ;   then  swift  I  would 

return ! 

But    Thou    pursuest    me     in-  16 

stead ; 
My  unknown  sin,  my  sentence  17 

dread. 
Sealed  beyond  change,  hang  o'er 

my  head !) 

As  rivers   grind  the  mountains  18 

low, 
And    floods    sweep    down    the  19 

valleys,  so 
Thy  pitiless  destructions  flow. 

Storm  after  storm  on  man  they  20 

play, 
Carve    deep    with  change  the 

face  of  clay, 
Then  headlong  sweep  the  dust 

away. 

His   sons   arc   honored  —  over-  21 

thrown — 
He   heeds    it  not  ;    his   bitter  22 

moan 
Bewails  no    suffering    but    his 

own. 


CHAP.    XV.] 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


95 


ELIPHAZ. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

1  Then  answered  Eliphaz  the  Te- 

nianite,  and  said : 

2  Shall  a  wise  man  answer  with 

windy  knowledge, 
and  fill  his  breast  with  the  east 
wind; 

3  reproving,  with  speech  that  helps 

not, 
with  words  wherein  is  no  profit  ? 

4  Yea,  thou  thyself  dost  cast  off 

fear,  [God. 

and  withholdest  prayer  before 

5  For  thy  mouth  teaches  thine  in- 

iquity, 
although     thou     choosest     the 
tongue  of  the  crafty. 

6  Thy  mouth  condemns  thee,  and 

not  I; 
and  thy  lips  testify  against  thee. 

7  Art  thou  the  first  man  born, 
and  before  the  hills  wast  thou 

brought  forth  ? 

8  Hast  thou  listened,  in  the  coun- 

cil of  God ;  [thyself? 

and   reservest  thou  wisdom  to 

9  What  dost  thou  know,  and  we 

know  it  not, 
or  understand,  and  we  have  not 
the  same  ? 

10  The  aged  also,  and  the  hoary- 

headed,  is  with  us, 
older  than  thy  father. 

11  Are  the  consolations  of  God  too 

little  for  thee ;       [with  thee  ? 
and  the  word  that  gently  deals 

12  Why  docs  thy  heart  carry  thee 

away; 
and  why  twinkle  thine  eyes ; 


PARAPHRASE.  . 

Do  wise  men    let  the  east  wind     2 

loose. 
Storm  without  substance,  vain 

abuse, 
Wlierein   is   nothing  found   of    3 

use? 

Thou  dost  deny  the  reverence    4 

due 
To  God,  despising  prayer;  yet    5 

through 
Thy  crafty   words  thy  guilt    I 

view. 

Thy  mouth  condemns  thee,  and     6 

not  I, 
And  thine  own  lips,  blaspheming 

high, 
Loudly  against  thee  testify. 

Wast  thou  the  first-born  man  of    7 

men? 
Did   God  tell  thee  His   secret,     8 

when 
He   made  the  hills ;   and  hast 

thou  then 

Kept  it  till  now?   What  dost    9 

thou  know 
And  we  not  ?  Age  is  with  us  :  lo,  10 
Thy  sire  hath  not  such  locks  of 

snow ! 

Our  gentle  words  dost  thou  de-  11 

spise. 
Nor  godly  consolations  prize  ? 
Else  wherefore  flash  thine  angry  12 

eyes. 


96 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.    XV. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

13  that  against  God,  thou  dost  turn 

thy  spirit, 
and  utter  words  from  thy  mouth  ? 

14  What  is  man,  that  he  should  be 

pure, 
one  born   of   woman,   that   he 
should  be  righteous  ? 

15  Lo,  lie  trusteth  not  in  his  holy 

ones, 
and  the  heavens  are  not  clean  in 
his  eyes. 

16  Much  more,  the  abominable  and 

polluted, 
man,  that  drinks  in  iniquity  like 
water. 

17  I  will  show  thee;   listen  thou 

to  me: 
and  that  which  I  have  seen  I  will 
declare, 

18  what  the  wise  make  known, 
and  have  not  hidden, — from  their 

fathers.  [g'ven, 

19  To  whom   alone   the   land  was 
and  no  stranger  passed  among 

them. 

20  All   the    days   of  the  wioked 

man,  he  is  in  pain, 
and  the  number  of  years  that 
are  laid  up  for  the  oppressor. 

21  Sounds  of  fear  are  in  his  ears ; 
in  peace,  the  destroyer   comes 

upon  him : 

22  be  trusts  not  that  he  shall  escape 

out  of  darkness ; 
and  he  is  destined  for  the  sword. 

23  He   wanders   about  for  bread : 

Where  is  it  ? 
he  knows  that  a  day  of  darkness 
is  ready,  at  his  hand. 


PARAPHRASE. 

And  wherefore  doth  thine  evil 

soul 
To  evil  words  thy  lips  control,      13 
And  against  God  thyself  extol  ? 

Can  mortal  man  be  pure  to  Him  14 
Who  trusteth  not  the  seraphim,    15 
And  unto  whom  the  heavens  are 
dim? 

What   sterner    judgment    man  16 

shall  win — 
A  thing  corrupted  from  within, 
And   drinking  up,   like    water, 

sin? 

I  speak  what  wise  men  have  not  l"? 

hid— 
Learned  from  their   sires,  who  18 

dwelt  amid 
These  places   ere   the  stranger  19 

did. 


The   wicked   is  not  free   from  20 

fears. 
However  long  his  destined  years, 
A  dreadful  sound  is  in  his  cars !  21 

In  peace  he  is  the  slayer's  mark  ; 
He    can    but    tremble,    vainly  22 

hark, 
And  wait  the  sword-thrust  in  the 

dark. 

He     wandereth — whither     who  23 

can  say  ? — 
A  hungry  beast,  in    search  of 

prey— 
Enoweth  at  hand  a  darker  day ; 


CHAP.    XV.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


97 


REVISED   VERSION. 

24  Trouble  and  distress  make  him 

afraid — 
overpower  him,  as  a  king  ready 
for  the  battle. 

25  Because   he   stretched   out   his 

hand  against  God, 
and  proudly  set  himself  against 

the  Almighty ; 
20  ran   upon    him,    with    stiffened 

neck, 
with  the  thick    bosses   of  his 

bucklers. 

27  Because  he  covered  his  face  with 

his  fatness, 
and    gathered     fat     upon     the 
loin; 

28  and    abode    in    desolated     cit- 

ies, 
whose  houses  none  inhabit, 
which   are   destined   for   stone- 
heaps. 

29  He  shall  not  be  rich,  nor  shall 

his  wealth  endure, 
nor  shall  their  possessions  spread 
abroad  in  the  earth. 

30  He  shall  not  escape  out  of  dark- 

ness; 
a    flame     shall     dry     up     his 

branches ; 
and  by  the  breath  of  His  mouth 

shall  he  pass  away. 

31  Let  him  not  trust  in  evil ;  he  is 

deceived, 
for    evil      shall    be     his     re- 
ward. 

32  Before     his    time,    it    is      ful- 

filled ; 
and    his    Palm    is    no    longer 
green. 
5 


PARAPHRASE. 

And   fainteth,   on   his   fears   to  24 

think. 
As  monarchs  feel  their  courage 

sink 
Upon  some  battle's  awful  brink, 

Because  he   dared,  with   bossy  25 

shield 
And  stiffened  neck,  the  sword  to  26 

wield 
Against  the  Almighty  in  the  field ! 

Since  he  grew  fat  by  violence,  27 
Dwelling  in  wasted  cities,  whence  28 
His  victims  fled  without  defence, 

He  shall  not  gather  wealth,  or  29 

shoot, 
A  spreading  tree  from   thrifty 

root, 
Or  bend  to  earth  with  weight  of 

fruit. 

The    buried  seed  shall  bide  in  30 

gloom ;  [doom, 

Or  if  it  grow,  God's  breath  of 
Like  flame,  the  branches  shall 
consume. 

Let  him  not  hope  :  the  evil  seed     31 
Will  evil  harvest  surely  breed. 
And  vain  exchange  will  be  his 
meed. 

Yea,    ere    the    harvest-time    be  32 

seen,  [vene ; 

His    doom   fulfilled   shall    inter- 
His  palm   shall    be   no   longer 
green. 


98 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.    XVI. 


RETISED   VERSION. 

33  He  shall  shake  off,  like  the  vine, 

his  unripe  grapes, 
and,  like  the  olive,  cast  away 
his  blossoms. 

34  For  the  household  of  the  impure 

is  desolate, 
and  a  fire  devours  the  tents  of 
bribery. 

35  They    conceive    mischief,    and 

bring  forth  vanity ; 
and  their  womb  matures   false- 
hood. 


PARAPHRASE. 

He,  like  the  vine,  unperfcctcd      33 
Shall  drop  his  clusters ;  he  shall 

shed 
Like    olive-trees    his    blossoms 

dead. 

For  barrenness,  like  fire,  hath  34 

caught 
The  household  with  corruption 

fraught. 
When  sin  conceives,  the  birth  ia  35 

naught. 


JOB. 


1  Then  answered  Job,  and  said : 

2  I      have     heard    many     such 

things ; 
miserable    comforters     are    ye 
all. 

3  Is  there  any  end  to  words  of 

wind? 
or   what  emboldens  thee,  that 
thou  shouldst  answer  ? 

4  I    also     could     speak     as     ye 

do; 
were    your    soul    in    place    of 

mine, 
I   could    frame  words    against 

you, 
and   could    shake  my  head  at 

you. 

5  I  would  strengthen  you  with  my 

mouth, 
and  the  comfort  of  my  lips  should 
uphold  ! 

6  If  I  speak,  my  grief  is  not  as- 

suaged ; 
and  if  I  forbear,  does  it  at  all  de- 
part from  me  ? 


Poor    comforters    are    ye — no    2 

more ;  [o'er, 

Ye  do  but  plague  me  o'er  and 
With  the  same  things  I  heard 
before. 

Thy  speech  is   like  the  empty    3 

wind, 
That  blows,  and  still  leaves  more 

behind : 
Else  what  fresh   pretext  canst 

thou  find  ? 

Ah,  were  your  souls  in  my  soul's    4 

stead, 
I  could  leave  you  uncomforted, 
Falsely  accuse,  and  shake   my 

head ! 

Nay,    my    words    should    give     5 

strength  again — 
But  now,  to  ease  my  steadfast     6 

pain 
My  speech,  my  silence  arc  in  vain. 


CHAP.    XVI.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


99 


REVISED    VERSION, 

7  But  now,  He  hath  wearied  rae 

out; 
thou  hast  made  all  my  household 
desolate ; 

8  and  me  hast  thou  seized — it  is 

become  a  witness ; 
and  my  leanness  rises  up  against 

me, 
it  bears  witness,  to  my  face. 

9  His  anger  rends,  and  it  pursues 

me; 
he    gnashes    on    me    with   his 

teeth ; 
my  enemy  sharpeneth  his  eyes 

at  me. 

10  They  gape  upon  me  with  their 

mouth ; 
with  scorn,  they  smite  me  on  the 

cheek ; 
together  they  combine   against 

me. 

11  God  delivers  me  up  to  the  un- 

righteous, 
and  casts  me  into  the  hands  of 
the  wicked. 

12  I  was  at  rest, — and  he  shattered 

me; 
he  laid  hold  of  my  neck,  and 

dashed  me  in  pieces, 
and  set  me  up  for  his  mark. 

13  His     strong     ones     beset     me 

round  j 
he  cleaves  my  reins,  and  docs 

not  spare ; 
and  pours  out  my  gall  upon  the 

earth. 

14  He  breaks  me,  with  breach  upon 

breach  ; 
he  runs  upon  me  like  a  warrior. 


PARAPHRASE. 

For  God  hath  worn  me  out.     At    Y 

first 
Thy  wrath  upon  my  household 

burst ; 
Then  one  by  one,  from  worse  to 

worst. 

Thy  judgments  fell,  until  at  last 
My   wasted  frame   by   men   is     8 

classed 
A  witness  of  my  guilty  past ! 

A  lion  He,  that  on  the  plain  9 

Rends  and  pursues  and    rends 
again,  [dain, 

With  eyes  that  glitter  fierce  dis- 

Then  leaves  to  jackal  men  the  (11) 

chase : 
With   gaping  jaws  they  crowd  10 

the  place,  [face. 

And  smite  the  helpless  victim's 

I  was  at  rest.     He  laid  rae  low,     12 
Seizing  my  throat ;    then  made 

me,  so, 
A  target  for  yet  further  woe. 

His  arrows  pierce  me  all  around ;  13 
He  cleaves  my  reins  with  fatal 

wound ; 
My  life  runs  out  upon  the  ground. 

Like  some  stronghold,  the  foe  14 

will  take, 
Breach  upon  breach  I  feel  Ilim 

make. 
Through  which  in  triumph   He 

may  break. 


100 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  [chap.  xvii. 


EETISED   VERSION. 

15  I  have  sewed  sack-cloth   upon 

my  skin, 
and  have  thrust  my  horn  into 
the  dust. 

16  My  face  i3  inflamed  with  weep- 

ing, 
and  a  death-shade  is  on  my  cye- 
hds; 

17  although  no  violence  is  in  my 

hands, 
and  my  prayer  is  pure. 

18  Earth,     cover    not    thou    my 

blood ! 
and  let  my  cry  have  no  resting- 
place  ! 

19  Even  now,  behold  my  witness  is 

in  heaven, 
and  my  attestor  is  on  high. 

20  My  mockers,  are  my  friends  : 
unto     God     my     eye    poureth 

tears  ; 

21  that  he  would  do  justice  to  a 

man  with  God, 
as   a  son   of  man    to   his   fel- 
low. 

22  For  a  few  years  will  pass, 

and  I  shall  go  the  way  that  I  re- 
turn not. 


1  My  breath  is  consumed, 
my  days  are  extinct ; 

the  graves  are  my  portion. 

2  Of   a    truth,    mockeries    beset 

me; 
and  my  eye  must  dwell  on  their 
provocation. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Sackcloth  upon  my  skin  is  sewn ;  15 
My  head  iu  dust  is  overthrown. 
My    face   inflamed   with    tears  16 
alone, 

And  in   mine   eyes   the   death- 
shade  stands,  [hands. 
Albeit  no   violence   stains    my  17 
And    pure  my  prayer,  as    He 
commands. 

Earth,    cover   not   my   martyr-  18 

blood, 
Nor    let    my  cry   lack   echoes 

good 
To  bear  it  through  the  solitude ! 

My  witness   far  in   heaven   at-   19 

tends, 
Nor  to  attest  mc  condescends  : 
My   mockers   arc   my   faithless  20 

friends ! 

Therefore  to  God  with  tears  I  cry 
That  He  would  judge  me  right-  21 

eously, 
Though  I  am  low  and  He  is  high, 

Yea,  as  a  man  would  deal  with 

men; 
For  my  few  years  will'  pass,  and  22 

then 
I  go,  and  shall  not  come  again ! 


My  breath  is  spent  ;    my  days     1 

are  sped ; 
My  portion  now  is  with  the  dead ; 
Yet  mockeries  I  must  bear  in-    2 

stead. 


CHAP.    XVII.] 


777"^  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


101 


REVISED   TEUSION. 

3  Give  a  pledge,  I  pray  thee ; 

be      thou      luy      surety    with 

thee: 
who  is  there,  that  will  give  his 

hand  for  mine  ? 

4  For  their  heart  thou  hast  kept 

back  from  wisdom ; 
therefore,    thou  wilt  not    exalt 
them. 

5  Whoso   betrays    friends    for    a 

prey, 
even  the  eyes  of  his  children  shall 
fail. 

6  And  me  has  He  set  for  the  peo- 

ples' by-word ; 
I  am  become  one  to  be  spit  upon 
in  the  face. 

7  My    eye    is     bedimmed     with 

grief, 
and  my  members,  all  of  them, 
are  as  the  shadow. 

8  The  upright  will  be  astonished 

at  this, 
and  the  innocent  will  be  roused 
against  the  impure. 

9  Yet  will  the  righteous  hold  on 

his  way, 
and  he  that  is  of  clean  hands 
will  increase  in  strength. 

10  But  as  for  them  all, — come  on 

again  I  pray ; 
for  I  find  not  a  wise  man  among 
you. 

11  My  days  are  passed  ;  my  plans 

are  broken  off, 
the  treasures  of  my  heart! 

12  Niglit  is  joined  to  day; 

light     is     just     before     dark- 
ness. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

Be   Thou    my   surety.      Other-     3 

where 
None  can  be  found  the  pledge  to 

dare, 
My  hand  to  clasp,  my  fate  to 

share. 

From  these  dull  hearts  I  hope  no     4 

aid, 
Who  thus  a  helpless  friend  be-    5 

trayed 
(His  little  children's   eyes  shall 

fade!) 

But  me   hath   God   set   up,  as     6 

one 
For   tribes    to   scorn   and    spit 

upon. 
Tear-blind — a  faint  shade  in  the     7 

sun! 

A  sight  for  wrath  and  wonder,     8 

sure, 
To  upright  men  ;  yet  being  pure,     9 
I  shall  grow  strong  while  I  en- 
.    dure ! 

As   for   all  them    whom    I    de-  10 
spise — 

Come  on  again !  Your  past  re- 
plies 

Prove  not   a   man   among    you 
wise ! 

My    days    are     past.      Death's  11 

severing  blow 
Cuts  off  the  plans  I  cherished  so ; 
The   gloom  is  close    upon    the  12 

glow ! 


102 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.    XVIII. 


UETISED   VERSION, 

13  Lo,  I  wait  my  abode  in  tlie  under- 

world, 
in  the  darkness  have  I  spread 
my  couch ; 

14  I  have  called  to  corruption,  My 

father  art  thou ;  [sister  ! 

to  the  worm,  My  mother  and  my 

15  And  where  then  is  my  hope? 
yea  my  hope,  who  shall  see  it ! 

16  It  will  go  down  to  the  bars  of 

the  under-world,  [dust, 

so  soon  as  there  is  rest  in  the 


PARAPHRASE. 

Chill    house,    dark    bed !    unto  13 

decay. 
Father,  I  cry;    to    worms   that  14 

prey. 
My  mother  and  My  sister,  say. 

A  grewsome  household,  'tis  con- 
fessed ; 

Where  then  my  hope?  Beyond  15 
all  quest 

Dungeoned  with   me  in  dust —  16 
and  rest ! 


BILDAD. 


1  Then  answered  Bildad  the  Shu- 

hite,  and  said : 

2  How  long  will  ye  hunt  for  words  ? 
understand;    and  afterward  let 

us  speak.  [the  brute, — 

3  Wherefore  are  we  accounted  as 
are  impure  in  your  eyes  ? 

4  One  that  teareth  himself  in  his 

rage ! 

for  thee,  shall  the  earth  be  for- 
saken, [place? 

and  the  rock  remove  out  of  its 

5  Yea,  the  light  of  the  wicked 

shall  go  out, 
and  the  flame  of  his  fire  shall 
not  shine. 

6  The  light  darkens  in  his  tent, 
and  his  lamp  above  him  goes  out. 

7  nis  strong  steps  become  strait- 

ened, [down, 

and  his  own  counsel  casts  him 

8  For  he  is  driven  into  a  net  by 

his  own  feet,' 
and  he  walks  upon  snares. 


How  long  will   ye   hunt  words     2 

alone  ? 
First  understand,  and  then  make 

known, 
Why  deem  us  brutes  and  vile  ?     3 

Thine  own 

The  rage  that  rends  thee,  whom     4 

none  chased. 
To  please  thee  must  the  earth     5 

be  waste,  [placed  ? 

And  rocks  for  thy  sake  be  dis- 

I  tell  thee  still,  the  lamp's  last     5 

spark 
That  shines,  the  sinner's  tent  to     6 

mark,  [dark ! 

Shall  die,  and  leave  him  in  the 

With  shortened  stride,  and  self-     7 

misled, 
lie  stumbles;    nets   and  snares     8 

are  spread  [dread. 

Beneath    his    feet    in    ambush 


CHAP.    XVIII.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


103 


REVISED   VERSION. 

9  The  trap  will  seize  by  the  heel, 
the  snare  will  take  fast  hold  of 
him ; 

10  hidden  is  its  cord  in  the  earth, 
and    its  noose   upon  the  path- 
way. 

11  On  every  side,  terrors  affright 

him, 
and    pursue    him,  at   his   foot- 
steps. 

12  His  strength  becomes  famished 
and  destruction  is  ready,  at  his 

side. 

13  It  devours  the  parts  of  his  skin ; 
his  limbs  the  first-born  of  death 

devours. 

14  He   shall   be  torn   from  the  se- 

curity of  his  tent, 
and  be  led  away  to  the  king  of 
terrors. 
15  There   shall  dwell  in  his  tent 
they  that  are  not  his ; 
brimstone  shall  be  showered  up- 
on  his  habitation. 
16  Beneath,  his  roots  shall  dry  up  ; 
and  above,  his  branch  shall  be 
cut  off. 
1*7  His  memory  perishes  from  earth ; 
and  he  has  no  name  on  the  face 
of  the  fields. 

18  He  shall  be  thrust  forth  from 

light  into  darkness, 
and   shall   be  driven   from  the 
habitable  world. 

19  He    has   no   offspring    and  no 

progeny  among  his  people, 
and  no  survivor  in  his  dwellings. 

20  They  that  come  after  arc  aston- 

islied  at  his  day ; 


PARAPHRASE. 

The  springing   trap,  the    cords     9 

that  hide 
To    draw    the    noose    securely  10 

tied. 
Affright    him    sore     on    every  11 

side. 

Grim  famine  wastes  his  vigorous  12 

powers 
Till   he,    grown   fierce    through  13 

hungry  hours. 
Death's  first-bom,  his  own  Hmbs 

devours ! 

From  his   tent's   refuge   he    is  14 

torn 
And   to   the    King   of  Terrors 

borne ; 
Strangers  his  heirs.     His  fields  15 

forlorn 

A  rain    of    sulphur    shall    de- 
spoil ; 

His  roots   shall    shrivel   in    the  16 
soil; 

His  branches  cease  to  climb  and 
coil. 

His   memory   lost,    from   earth  17 

concealed. 
Shall      perish,       even       unre- 

vealed 
By  any  name  on  any  field ! 

From    daylight    into    darkness  18 

whirled. 
From  human  habitations  hurled, 
He   leaves   no   child  in  all   the  19 

world. 


104 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.    XIX. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

and  they  that  were  before  are 
terror-stricken. 
21     Such  only  are  the  habitations 
of  the  wicked, 
and  such  the  place  of  hitn  that 
knows  not  God. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Tlie  distant  west  and  east  are  20 

awed ! 
Such    the    abode    of    sin    and  21 

fraud ; 
Such  is  his  place,  who  knows  not 

God! 


JOB. 


1  Then  answered  Job,  and  said  : 

2  How  long  will  ye  vex  my  soul, 
and  break   me   in   pieces  with 

words  ? 

3  These  ten  times  do  ye  reproach 

me; 
without  shame,  ye  stun  me. 

4  And  even  if,in  truth, I  have  erred, 
my  error  abides  with  myself. 

5  If,   indeed,  against  me  ye  will 

make  your  boast,        [proach. 
then  prove  against  me  ray  re- 

6  Know  now,  that  God  has  wrest- 

ed my  cause ;  [me. 

and  his  net  he  has  cast  around 

7  Lo,  I  cry  out  for  wrong,  and  am 

not  answered ;  [tice. 

I  call  aloud,  and  there  is  no  jus- 

8  My  way  he  has  hedged  up,  that 

I  cannot  pass, 
and  has  put  darkness  over  my 
paths. 

9  lie  has  stripped  me  of  my  glory, 
and  taken  the  crown  from  my 

head. 

10  lie  breaks  me  down  on  every 

side,  and  I  perish ; 
my  hope  he  uproots  like  the  tree. 

1 1  He  makes  his  anger  burn  against 

me ;  [me. 

as  his  enemies,  does  he  regard 


When  will  ye  cease  to  vex,  and     2 

hush 
Your  stony  words,  my  soul  that     3 

crush — 
Unblushing,  while  ye  make  me 

blush  ? 

Mine   error's    mine,   if   I    have     4 

erred ; 
And   ere  ye   speak    a  boasvful    5 

word 
Against  me,  let  your  proof  be 

heard ! 

But  know,  my  cause  hath  God    6 
abused ; 

Caught  in   His   net,  I   am   ac- 
cused ; 

I    cry,     and    justice     is      re-     *? 
fused  ! 

The  ways  He  clo.-icd,  in  darkness     8 

frown ; 
He  hath  stripped  off  my  glory's     9 

crown ; 
On   every   side   He   breaks  me  10 

down. 

I  die,  uprooted  like  a  tree; 

His  anger  burneth  terribly,  11 

As  if  I  were  His  enemy. 


CHAP.    XIX.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


105 


nETISED   TERSION. 

12  Together  come  all  his  bands ; 
they  cast  up  their  way  to  me, 
and  encamp  around  my  tent. 

13  My  brethren  he  has  removed  far 

from  me; 
and    they    that    know   me    are 
wholly  estranged  from  me. 

14  My  kinsmen  stand  aloof; 

and  my  acquaintances  have  for- 
gotten me. 

15  Sojourners  in  my  house,    even 

my  maid-servants,  count  me  a 
stranger ; 
I  am  become  an  alien  in  their 
eyes. 

16  I  call  to  my  servant,  and  he  an- 

swers not ; 
with  my  mouth,  I  entreat  him. 

17  My  breath  is  strange  to  my  wife ; 
I  am  offensive  to  the  sons  of  the 

same  womb. 

18  Yea,  children  spurn  at  me; 

if  I  would  rise  up,  they  speak 
against  me. 

19  All  the  familiar  friends    abhor 

me; 
and  they  whom  I  love  are  turned 
against  me. 

20  My  bone  cleaves  to  my  skin  and 

to  my  flesh ; 
so  that  I  am  escaped  with  the 
skin  of  my  teeth. 

21  Have  pity  on  me,  have  pity  on 

me,  yc  my  friends ; 
for  the  hand  of  God  hath  touched 
me. 

22  Why  do  ye  pursue  me  as  God, 
and   are  not   satiated  with  nay 

flesh! 


PARAniRASE. 

His  armed  hosts  together  sent,      12 
March  hither  on  destruction  bent, 
And  camp  about  my  hapless  tent. 

Brethren  and  friends,  at  His  be-  13 

best, 
Are  strangers.    They  who  know  14 

me  best 
Forget  me  now,  like  all  the  rest. 

My  guests,  my  maids,  continually  15 
Count  me  an  alien.  Though  I  cry,  16 
My  very  slave  makes  no  reply. 

My  wife,my  brethen,  with  disgust  17 
Behold  me.     Even  the  children  18 

must 
Scoff  at  my  rising  from  the  dust. 

The  friendship  of  familiar  friend,  1 9 
The  love  of  best-beloved,  end ; 
Horror   and   hate   on   me   Ihey 
spend. 

To  flesh  and  skin  cleaves  fast  20 

the  bone  ; 
I  am  escaped  from  death  alone, 
With  nothing  I  can  call  my  own. 

Have  pity  on  mc !    Have  pity  on  21 

me, 
0  ye  my  friends !    Do  ye  not  see 
God's  hand   hath   touched  me 

heavily  ? 

Why  will  ye  then,  like  God,  pur-  22 

sue. 
Hungry,  unsated,  as  ye  do. 
Adding  to  His  your  torments  too? 


106 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[CUAP.    XX. 


REVISED    VERSION. 

23  Oh  that  my  words  were   writ- 

ten! 
oh  that  they  were  inscribed  in 
the  book  ! 

24  that  with   an   iron     stile,     and 

lead, 
they  were  graven   in  the  rock 
forever ! 

25  But  I,  I   know  ray   redeemer 

lives, 
and  in  after  time  will  stand  upon 
tlie  earth ; 

26  and   after  this   my  skin   is  de- 

stroyed, 
and  without  my  flesh,  shall  I  see 
God. 

27  Whom  I,  for  myself,  shall  see, 
and  my  eyes   behold,  and   not 

another, 
when  my  reins   are   consumed 
within  me. 

28  If  ye  say:  How  will  we  pursue 

him ! 
and  the  root  of  the  matter  is 
found  in  me, 

29  be  ye  afraid  of  the  sword  ; 

for  wrath  is   a  crime   for  the 

Bword, 
that  ye   may  know  there  is  a 

judgment. 


PARAPHRASE. 

0  were  my  speech  a  book  instead,  23 
Or  carved  in  rock,  with  iron  and  24 

lead. 
That  should  abide  when  I  am 

dead ! 

Yet  faiUng  this,  I  know  full  clear  25 
That  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and 

here 
Upon  my  dust  He  shall  appear ! 

Yea,  though  my  body  shall  be  26 

trod, 
Athing  decayed, beneath  the  sod. 
Out  of  the  flesh  shall  I  see  God. 

When  death  consumes  this  body  2*7 

base,  [face — 

Mine  eyes  shall  see  Him  face  to 
Yea,  mine — no  stranger's  in  my 
place. 

If  ye  then  think  to  persecute,       28 
Deeming  my  wickedness  the  root 
To  all  this  weight  of  bitter  fruit, 

Beware  His  sword  of  punishment,  29 
That  bites  and  burns,  with  keen 

intent, 
On  earth  in  tardy  justice  sent. 


ZOPHAR. 


1  Then  answered  Zophar  the  Na- 

amathitc,  and  said : 

2  For  this,  do  my  thoughts  give 

answer  to  me, 
and  because  of  my  eager  haste 
Avithin  nie. 


At  this  foul  charge  against  me     2 

brought. 
My   spirit    flashes   through   my     3 

thought 
In   passion   with    swift  answer 

fraught. 


CHAP.    XX. J 


TUE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


107 


REVISED   VERSION. 

3  My  shameful  chastisement  must 

I  hear ; 
and  the  spirit,  from  my  under- 
standing, will  answer  for  mc. 

4  Dost  thou   know  this  to  have 

been  from  of  old, 
since  man  was  placed  upon  the 
earth ; 

5  that  the  triumphing  of  the  wick- 

ed is  short, 
and  the  joy  of  the  impure  for  a 
moment? 

6  Though  his  height  mount  up  to 

the  heavens, 
and  his  head  reach  to  the  clouds : 

7  according  to  his  greatness,  so 

shall  ho  perish  forever ; 
they  that  saw  him  shall  say: 
Where  is  he  ? 

8  As  a  dream  shall  he  fly,  and  not 

be  found ; 
and  be  chased  away,  as  a  vision 
of  the  night. 

9  The  eye  that  saw  him  shall  see 

him  no  more, 
and  his  place  shall  no  more  be- 
hold him. 

10  His  sons  the  weak  shall  oppress ; 
and  his  hands  shall  make  resti- 
tution of  his  wealth. 

11  His  bones  are  full  of  his  youth  ; 
but  it  shall  lie  down  with  him  in 

the  dust. 

12  Though   evil  be  sweet  in   his 

mouth,  [tongue ; 

though    he   hide   it    under    his 

13  though  he  be  sparing  of  it,  and 

will  not  let  it  go, 
and  hold  it  in  his  palate ; 


PARAPHRASE. 

Art  thou  aware,  since  man  was    4 
man. 

How  brief  the  sinner's  triumph     5 
ran, 

Ending     as    soon    as     it     be- 
gan? 

Though  high  as  Heaven,  his  fall     6 

shall  be 
The  greater   for  his  greatness.     Y 

He 
Shall  fall  and  perish  utterly. 

"  Where  is  he  ?  "  they  who  watch 

shall  say. 
Fled  like   a  vision  chased  by     8 

day; 
Seen  in  his  place  no  more  for    9 

aye. 

His  hands  that  smote  and  spoiled  10 
the  poor. 

Spoiled  in  their  turn,  shall  grasp 
no  more, 

But  all  their   ill-got   gains   re- 
store. 

Though  youth  yet  thrills  in  every  11 

limb, 
Its   strength   is  vain.      Death's 

mandate  grim 
Shall  lay  it   in   the   dust  with 

him. 

Yea,   though   with    palate   and  12 

with  tongue 
He    hold    the  savory   taste    of  13 

wrong. 
Its  evil  sweetness  to  prolong, 


108 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.  XX. 


RETISKD    VERSION. 

14  his  food  is  turned  in  his  bowels, 
the  gall  of  asps  within  him  ! 

15  He  swallows  down   riches,  but 

shall  disgorge  them ; 
God  will  dispossess  them  from 
his  belly. 

16  He  shall  suck  in  the  poison  of 

asps; 
the  tongue  of  the  adder  will  slay 
him. 

17  He  shall  not  look  on  the  water- 

courses, 
the  flowing  streams  of  honey  and 
milk. 

18  The  fruit  of  toil  he  restores, 

and  shall  not  devour, 
as  his  borrowed  possession,  and 
shall  not  rejoice  in  it. 

19  Because    he    oppressed,    aban- 

doned the  weak, 
the  houses  he  has  plundered  he 
shall  not  build  up. 

20  Because  he  knew  no  rest  in  his 

bosom, 
of  all  his  delights  he  shall  save 
nothing. 

21  His  greedy  appetite  nothing  es- 

caped ; 
therefore  his  prosperity  shall  not 
endure. 

22  In  the  fullness  of  his  superfluity, 

he  shall  be  straitened ; 
every    hand    of   the    wretched 
shall  come  upon  him. 

23  His  belly  shall  be  filled ! 

God  shall  cast  on  him  the  fury 

of  his  wrath, 
and  shall   rain   his   food    upon 

him! 


rARAPHRASE. 

Within    him    it   shall    turn,    to  14 

make 
The  fatal  poison  of  the  snake — 
The  sweeter  taste,  the  sharper 

ache ! 

His  wealth  he  vomits  forth  again;  15 
Only  its  poison  shall  remain —      16 
By  adders'  tongues  he  shall  be 
slain. 

Surrendering  all  he  earned  or  (18) 

took. 
He  may  not  on  the  flowing  brook  17 
Or  streams  of  milk  and  honey 

look. 

Because  he  spoiled  and  cast  aside,  1 9 
The  houses  he  destroyed   shall 

bide, 
Nor  be  rebuilt  to  swell  his  pride. 

Because  his  greed  and  wild  un-  20 
rest 

Paused  not,  nor  spared,  he  shall  21 
be  blest 

With  naught  of  all  that  he  pos- 
sessed. 

His  want  amid  his  wealth  shall  22 

grow, 
While  victims' hands  of  long  ago 
Shall  reach  to  strike  him,  blow 

on  blow. 

His  belly  shall  beyond  desire        23 
Be  bravely  filled :    God's  anger 

dire 
Shall  rain  upon  him  food  of  fire! 


onAP.  XXI.] 


THE  BOOK   OF  JOB. 


109 


REVISED    VERSION. 

24  If  be  flee  from  the  iron  weapon, 
the  bow  of  brass   shall   strike 

him  through. 

25  He  plucks  it  out ;  it  comes  forth 

from  his  body 
the  gleaming  weapon,  from  his 

gall ! 
terrors  come  upon  him !  . 

26  All  darkness  is  hoarded  up  for 

his  treasures ; 
a  fire  not  blown  shall  consume 

them  ; 
it  shall  devour  the  remnant  in 

his  tent. 

27  Heaven    shall    reveal    his    in- 

iquity, 
and    earth    stand    up     against 
him. 

28  The  increase  of  his  house  shall 

depart, 
shall  flow  away,  in  the  day  of 
His  wrath. 

29  Tliis  is  the  portion  of  a  wicked 

man  from  God, 
and  his  appointed  lot  from  the 
Mighty  One. 


PARAPHRASE. 

His  fate  is  sure.    Albeit  he  might  24 
The  iron  sword  escape  by  flight, 
The  brazen  bow  afar  shall  smite. 

When  from  his  flesh  the  gleam-  25 

ing  dart  [start 

He  plucks,  with  horror  he  shall 
To  find  the  point  hath  pierced 
his  heart ! 

His  hidden  wealth  more  darkly  26 

yet 
Shall  be  concealed.  A  flame  unlit 
By  human  hands  shall  swallow  it, 

To  the  last   scrap  his  tent  can 
yield  ; 

But  not  his  sin    shall   be    con-  27 
cealed — 

By  earth  abhorred,  by  earth  re- 
vealed ! 

His  treasure,  in  God's  anger  hot,  28 
Shall  flow  like   water  from  the 

spot : 
Such  is  the  sinner's  certain  lot.     29 


JOB. 


1  Then  answered  Job,  and  said : 

2  Hear  ye  attentively  my  speech  ; 
and   let   your   consolations   be 

this. 

3  Suffer  me,  that  I  may  speak  ; 
and  after  I  have  spoken, mock  on. 

4  As  for  me,  is  my  complaint  to 

man? 
Or  wherefore  should   I  not  be 
impatient  ? 


By  way  of  consolation  new,  2 

Pray  let  me  speak,  and  hear  me     3 

too. 
Then,  Zophar,  mock  when  I  am 

through. 

Ismy  complaint  of  human  range?    4 
Have  I  not  cause  in   suff"ering 

strange, 
Impatient  to  bewail  my  change  ? 


110 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.    XXI. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

5  Look  upon  mc,  and  be  aston- 

ished, 
and    lay    the    hand    upon    the 
mouth ! 

6  For  when  I  remember,  I  am  dis- 

mayed ; 
and  trembling  seizes  my  flesh. 
Y  Wherefore  do  the  wicked  live, 
grow  old,  yea  become  mighty  in 

power  ? 

8  Their  seed  with  them  is  estab- 

lished in  their  sight, 
and  their  offspring  before  their 
eyes. 

9  Their  houses  are  iu  peace,  with- 

out fear ; 
and  no  scourge  of  God  is  upon 
them. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Behold  and  wonder  and  be  still !     5 
The  mystery  frights  me;  and  a     6 

thrill 
Of  awe  my  very  flesh  doth  fill. 

Why  grow  the  wicked  old  and     7 

strong, 
Their  seed  established  and  among    8 
Their  household  peace,  nor  fear     9 

of  wrong  ? 

No  scourge  of  God  on  them  lets  10 

fall  [all 

Its  pestilent  stroke ;  their  cattle 
Unfailing  breed  in  field  and  stall. 

And  like  their  flocks,  their  chil-  11 
dren  throng. 


10  His     cattle     breed,    and      fail    In  youthful  gladness  dance  along, 

not;  With  lyre  and  tabret,  pipe  and  12 

his  kine  bring  forth,  and   mis-       song, 
carry  not. 

11  They  send  out  their  little  ones 

like  the  flock, 
and  their  children  dance. 

12  They  shout,   with    tabret    and 

harp, 
and  rejoice,  to  the  sound  of  the 
pipe. 

13  In  prosperity  they  spend  their 

days, 
and  in  a  moment,  go  down  to 
the  under-world. 

14  And  they  say  unto  God :  Depart 

from  us ; 
for  we  desire  not  the  knowledge 
of  thy  ways. 

15  What  is  the  Almighty,  that  wc 

should  serve  him  ? 


Thus   prosperously  they  spend  13 

their  day. 
And  die  at  last,  without  delay 
Of  weary  waiting  on  the  way. 

Yet  these  have  said  to  God :  Be-  14 

gone  ! 
We  would  not  know   Thy  ways, 

nor  own  [throne  / 

In  service    or    in   prayer    Thy 

]Vho  is  this  Mighty  One,  they  16 

sneer; 
That  we  to  Him  should  bow  in 

fear  ? 
What  we  should  gain  doth  not 

appear  ! 


CHAP.    XXI.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


Ill 


REVISED    VERSION. 

and  what  are  we  profited,  if  we 

pray  unto  him  ? 
16     Lo,  their  good  is  not  in  their 

hand ! 
Far  from  me  is  the  counsel  of 

the  wicked. 
lY     How  oft,  does  the  lamp  of  the 

wicked  go  out, 
and  their  destruction  come  upon 

them, 
or  He,  in  his  anger,  distribute 

sorrows  ? 

18  or  they  are  as  stubble  before  the 

wind, 
and  as  chaff,  which  the  whirl- 
wind snatches  away  ? 

19  Will  God  treasure  up  his  iniquity 

for  his  sons  ? 
on  him  let  him  requite  it,  that 
he  may  know ! 

20  Let  his    eyes   see  his   destruc- 

tion, 
and  let  him  drink  of  the  wrath 
of  the  Almighty. 

21  For  what  is  his  concern  in  his 

house  after  him, 
when  the  number  of  his  months 
is  cut  off? 

22  Shall  one  teach   God    knowl- 

edge, 
when  it  is  he  that  judgeth  the 
high? 

23  One   dies   in   his   full    prosper- 

ity; 
he  is  wholly  at  ease,   and   se- 
cure. 

24  His  sides  are  full  of  fat, 

and  the  marrow  of  his  bones  is 
moistened. 


PARAPHRASE. 

The  good  they  deem  they  do  not  16 
need, 

They  will  not  grasp.     But  I,  in- 
deed. 

Far  from  me  put  their  evil  creed. 

Yet,   pray,   how    oft    are    they  17 

brought  low. 
Their  lamp  put  out,  that  they 

may  know 
How  God  in  wrath    distributes 

woe? 

How  oft  o'ermastered  by  despair,  18 
Like  stubble,  storm-swept  here 

and  there, 
Like  chaff  the  whirlwind  lifts  in 

air? 

God  pays  the  sinnerh  sons^  yo  19 

prate. 
Nay,  let  himself  be  desolate. 
That  he  may  know  and  feel  his 

fate! 

Let  hitn  drink  wrath  and  see  de-  20 

spair ! 
His  time  cut  off,  what  will  he  21 

care  [fare  ? 

How  afterwards  his   household 

Can  any  give  with  skill  uncouth   22 
To  the  all-judging  God,  forsooth, 
A  clearer  knowledge  of  the  truth  ? 

One  dies  in  fullness  of  success,     23 
In  perfect  ease  and  quietness — 
Plenty  and  strength  without  dis-  24 
tress. 


112 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.    XXI. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

25  And  another  dies  in  bitterness 

of  soul, 
and  has  not  tasted  good. 

26  Together  they  lie  down  in  the 

dust, 
and  the  worm  covers  them. 
2Y  Lo,  I  know  your  devices, 

and    the  plots   with   which   ye 

would  oppress  me. 

28  For  ye  say :  Where  is  the  house 

of  the  Noble  ; 
and  where  the  tent,  in  which 
the  wicked  have  dwelt  ? 

29  Have  ye  not  asked    the   way- 

fai-ers  ? 
and  do  ye  not  know  their  to- 
kens? 

30  That  the  wicked  is  kept   unto 

tlie  day  of  destruction ; 
they  are  brought  on  to  the  day 
of  wrath. 

31  Who,  to  his  face,  will  declare 

his  way? 
and  what  he  has  done,  who  will 
requite  him  ? 

32  And  he,  to  the  graves  is  he  borne 

away, 
and    watch    is    held    over    the 
tomb. 

33  Sweet  to  him  are  the  clods  of 

the  valley ; 

and  all  men  will  draw  after 
him, 

as  before  him,  without  num- 
ber. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Another  dies  in  bitter  pains,         25 
Ere  any  blessing  he  attains. 
Both  die — the  worm  for  both  re-  26 
mains. 

Behold,    I    know    your    crafty  27 

thought : 
The  plot  wherein  ye  would  have 

caught 
My  soul,  discerned,  shall  come 

to  naught ! 

Ye    say.    Where  is   his  palace?  28 

and,  Lo, 
The  wicked's  dwelling  is  laid  low  ! 
Wayfarers,  even,  better  know  !     29 

They  know,  and  can  with  proofs 

make  clear, 
The  wicked  is  preserved  here,      30 
While  others  wrath  and  ruin  fear! 

Who  shall   rebuke   him    to  his  31 
face? 

And  who  requite  him  with  dis- 
grace? 

Men  bear  him  to  bis  resting-place,  32 

Then  watch  with  reverence  o'er 

his  tomb, 
While  sweet  the  flowers  above  33 

him  bloom. 
Shedding  like  peace  their  still 

perfume. 

And  all  men  strive  to  emulate 
The  life  that  ends  in  such  a  fate, 
As  men  have  always  aped  the 
great. 


OUAP.    XXII.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


113 


REVISKD    VERSION. 

34     IIow  then   comfort   ye   mc  in 
vain, 
when  in  your  answers  there  re- 
mains only  deception ! 


PARAPHRASE. 

Why  do  ye  comfort  me  in  vain,    3-i 
Since   of  your  answers,   sifted 

plain. 
Deception  only  doth  remain  ? 


ELirnAZ. 


1  Then    answered    Eliphaz    the 

Temanitc,  and  said : 

2  Can  a  man  profit  God  ? 

for  it  is  himself  the  wise  man 
profits. 

3  Is  it  a  pleasure  to  the  Almighty, 

that  thou  shouldst  be  right- 
eous, 
or   a   gain,  that  thou   shouldst 
make  thy  ways  perfect  ? 

4  Will  he,  for   thy   fear,   rebuke 

thee, 
enter  into  judgment  with  thee? 

5  Is  not  thy  wickedness  great  ? 
and  there  is  no  end  to  thy  in- 
iquities. 

6  For  tliou  hast  taken  a  pledge  of 

thy  brother  for  naught, 
and  stripped  off  the  garments  of 
the  naked. 

7  The  fainting  thou  gavest  no  wa- 

ter to  drink, 
and  from  the  hungry  thou  hast 
withholden  bread. 

8  But  the  man  of  might,  his  was 

the  land  ; 
and  the  honored  one,  he  dwelt 
therein. 

9  Widows  tiiou  hast  sent  empty 

away, 
and   the   arms   of  the  orphans 
were  broken. 


No    man    can     profit     God,    I     2 

ween : 
He    sits    above,    supreme,    se-     3 

rene. 
Whether  thy  ways   be  foul  or 

clean. 

The  wise  are  wise  for  their  own  (2) 

gain. 
Would  God  thy  piety  disdain,         4 
Or    visit    with     his    judgments 

plain  ? 

Nay,  'tis  thy  great,  thy  endless     5 

sin ! 
A     cruel      usurer      thou     hast     6 

been. 
Thy  naked  brother's  pledge  to 

win. 

Drink  to  the  fainting  hast  de-     7 

nicd ; 
Bread  to  the  hungry,  while   in     8 

pride 
Of  wealth  and  power  thou  didst 

abide. 

Widows    thou    dravcst    empty     9 

hence ; 
Orphans  bewailed  in  innocence 
The  arms  that  once  were  their 

defence. 


114 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.  xxii. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

10  Therefore  snares  are  round  about 

thee, 
and    fear    suddenly    confounds 
thee; 

11  or  darkness,  that  thou  canst  not 

see; 
and  the  flood  of  waters  covers 
thee. 

12  Is  not  God  in  the  height  of 

heaven  ? 
and  behold  the  summit  of  the 
stars,  how  high ! 

13  And    thou   saycst :     How   does 

God  know  ? 
Can  he  judge  through  the  thick 
cloud  ? 

14  Clouds  are  a  covering  to  him, 

and  he  sees  not ; 
and  he  walks  upon  the  vault  of 
heaven. 

15  Wilt  thou  keep  the  old  way, 
which  wicked  men  have  trodden? 

16  Who  were  seized  before  the  time ; 
their    foundation    was    poured 

away  in  a  flood. 

17  Such  as  say  unto  God:  Depart 

from  us  ; 
and,  What  can  the  Almighty  do 
to  them? 

18  When  he  their  houses  had  filled 

with  good  : 
but  far  from  me  is  the  counsel 
of  the  wicked  ! 

19  The  righteous  look  on,  and  re- 

joice; 
and  the  innocent  mock  at  them : 

20  Truly,  our  adversary  is  cut  off; 
and  what  is  left  to  them  a  fire 

consumes. 


PARAPIIRASE. 

Therefore  the  snares  about  thee  10 

spread — 
The  darkness   and   the  sudden  11 

dread, 
The  flood  of  waters  o'er  thy  head ! 

God  dwelleth  in  the  heavenly  height  1 2 
Beyond  the  summit  of  the  niglU, 
Whence  farthest   stars    let  fall 
their  light ; 

And  how,  thou  sayest,  can  He  13 

hiou\ 
The  vaulted  heavens  treading  so,    14 
Or  see  through  clouds  the  world 

below  ? 

Wilt  thou  the  way  of  ruin  hold     15 
That  wicked  men  have  trod  of  old. 
Till  floods  untimely  o'er  them  16 
rolled  ? 

Such  men  as  say  to  God,  Begone  /  17 
Or  such  as  judge  what  lie  hath  18 

done, 
Complaining    of    the    Almighty 

One— 

\]7iat  can  He  do  to  them,  indeed? 
Hath  He  not  blest  them  beyond  18 

need? 
Far  be  from  me  such  evil  creed ! 

The  righteous  at  their  doom  re-  19 
joice. 

Truly,  they  cry  with   mocking  20 
voice, 

Wliat  death  hath  left  the  fire  de- 
stroys ! 


CHAP.    XXII.J 


TEE  BOOK   OB  JOB. 


1\\ 


REVISED    VERSION. 

21  Now  acquaint  thyself  with  him, 

and  be  at  peace  ; 
thereby  shall  good  come  upon 
thee. 

22  Take    now   the    law   from    his 

mouth, 
and  lay  up   his   words  in   thy 
heart. 

23  If  thou  return  to  the  Almighty, 

thou  shalt  be  built  up, 
if  thou  remove  wickedness  far 
from  thy  dwellings. 

24  And  cast  to  the  dust  the  pre- 

cious ore, 
and  the   gold  of  Ophir   to  the 
stones  of  the  brooks  ; 

25  for   the  Almighty  will    be   thy 

precious  ores, 
and  silver,  sought  with  toil,  for 
thee. 

26  For  then  shalt  thou  have  delight 

in  the  Almighty, 
and  shalt  lift  up  thy  face  unto 
God. 

27  Thou  wilt  pray  to  him,  and  he 

will  hear  thee; 
and     thou    wilt    perform    thy 
vows. 

28  For  thou  wilt  purpose  a  thing, 

and  it  shall  stand  ; 
and  light  will  shine  upon  thy 
ways. 

29  When  they  are  cast  down,  thou 

shalt  say  :  There  is  lifting  up ! 
and  the  meek-eyed  he  will  save. 

30  He  will  deliver  one  that  is  not 

guiltless; 
and  he   shall  be  saved  by  the 
purcness  of  thy  hands. 


PARArnRASE. 

Be  friends  then  with  thy  right-  21 

eous  friend : 
The  law  he  speaks,  if  thou  attend  22 
And  lay  to  heart,  in  good  shall 

end. 

Turn — the  Almighty  will  restore.  23 
If  thou  put  evil  from  thy  door. 
Give  back  to  earth  the  precious  24 
ore; 

Cast  Ophir's  gold,  from  streams 
set  free,  [be 

To  streams  again ;  for  God  shall  25 
Both  gold  and  silver  unto  thee ! 

In  Him  thou  shalt  delight,  and  26 

raise 
Thy  face  unshamed  in  prayer  and 

praise ; 
And  light  will  shine  upon  thy  (28) 

ways ; 

Thy  prayers  be  heard,  thy  vows  27 

be  paid ; 
And  every  purpose  thou  hast  laid  28 
A  thing  established  shall  be  made. 

And  if  thy  paths  in  shade  de-  29 

scend, 
Thou  shalt  see  sunshine  at  the 

end ; 
For  God  the  humble  will  defend. 

Yea,  He  will  save  the  sinner,  even,  30 
For  whom  saints  lift  their  hands 

to  heaven : 
As  thou  maycst  do — thyself  for- 
given. • 


116 


THE  BOOK   OF  JOB. 


[CII.VP.    XXIII. 


JOB. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

1  Then  answered  Job,  and  said  : 

2  Even   to-day,  my   complaint  is 

irowardness ! 
The  liand  upon  me  is   licavier 
than  my  groaning.  [him, 

3  0  that  I  knew  how  I  might  find 
might  come  even  to  his  seat ! 

4  I  would  array  my  cause  before 

him,  [ments. 

and   fill  my  mouth  with  argu- 

5  I  would    know   the    words   be 

would  answer  me,  [me. 

and  mark  what  he  would  say  to 

6  Would   he,    with    great   power, 

contend  with  me?         [to  me. 
no!  he  surely  would  give  heed 

7  There,  the  upright  might  reason 

with  him  ; 
and   I  should  be  delivered  for 
ever  from  my  judge. 

8  Lo,  I  go  toward  the  east,  but 

he  is  not  there, 
and  toward  the  west,  but  I  per- 
ceive him  not ; 

9  toward  the  north  where  he  work- 

eth,  but  I  behold  him  not, 
he  covers  himself  in  the  south, 
and  I  see  him  not.         [take ; 

10  But  he  knows  the  way  that  I 
when  he  tries  me,  I  shall  come 

forth  as  the  gold. 

1 1  My  foot  has  held  fast  to  his  step ; 
his  way  have  I  kept,  and  not 

turned  aside. 

12  The  commandment  of  his  lips,  I 

put  it  not  away ; 
above  my  own  law,  I  prized  the 
words  of  his  mouth.  • 


PARAPHRASE. 

Even  now  I  sin,  if  I  but  moan ;     2 
His     heavy     hand     forbids     a 
groan. 

0  that    I     stood     before    His     .3 

throne ! 

My  cause,  my  proofs,  I  would  ar-     4 

ray 
Before    His     face,     nor      turn 

away 
Till  I  had  heard  what  He  would     5 

say! 

Would   nis   omnipotence  inter-     6 

fere? 
Nay,  let   Him    but   ray   reason    7 

hear. 
And    I    should    stand     forever 

clear ! 

Eastward    I    turn — He    is    not     8 

there ; 
Westward — I  see  Him  not,  nor 

where 
In  North  or  South  His  hidings     9 

are. 

Unknown  His  paths.     He  know-  10 
eth  mine : 

And  when  He  tries  me,  I  shall 
shine, 

Pure  gold,   no   finer    need    re- 
fine. 

My    foot,     that    never   turned  11 

aside. 
Steadfast  in  His  way  did  abide. 

1  prized  His  law  above  my  pride.  12 


CHAP.    XXIV.] 


TUB  BOOK   OF  JOB. 


117 


REVISED    VERSIOX. 

13  But  he  is  the  same,  and  who  can 

turn  him  ? 
and  what  his  soul  desires  he  will 
do. 

14  Truly,  the  purpose   conccniing 

me  he  will  accomplish, 
and  many  such  things  are  with 
him. 

15  Therefore  do  I  tremble   before 

him, 
I   consider,   and   am    afraid    of 
him. 

16  And  God  makes  my  heart  soft, 
and    the    Almighty    confounds 

me. 
lY  For  I  should  not  be  dumb  be- 
cause of  darkness, 
because  thick  darkness  covers 
me, 

1  Why,  if  times  are  not  hidden 

from  the  Almighty, 
do  they  that  know  him  not  see 
his  days  ? 

2  Landmarks  they  remove ; 
flocks  they  seize  upon,  and  feed. 

3  The    orphans'   ass    they    drive 

away; 
they  take  the  widow's  ox  for  a 
pledge. 

4  They  turn  aside  the  needy  from 

the  way ; 
all  the  oppressed  of  the  land  are 
made  to  hide  themselves. 

5  Lo,  as  wild-asses  in  the  wilder- 

ness, 

they  go  forth  to  their  toil,  search- 
ing for  the  prey ; 

the  desert  to  him  is  bread  for 
the  children. 


PARAPHRASE. 

But  who  can  turn  the  Only  One  ?  13 
His  soul  desires — and  it  is  done ; 
He  will  complete  the  doom  be-  14 
gun. 

Nor  mine  alone,  but  many  a  fate 

He  doth  like  mine  predestinate. 

I  tremble,  this  to  meditate!  15 

The  Almighty  makes  my  heart  16 

to  fail. 
Affrights,  confounds.      I  would  17 

not  quail 
If  dark  woes  only  did  prevail. 


If  God  doth  certainly  foreknow       1 
His  wrath  shall  lay  the  wicked 

low. 
Why  do  His  friends  not  find  it 

so? 

Behold,  how  men  on  every  hand     2 
Move  landmarks,  stealing  flocks 

and  land, 
Or   drive  away  with   stem   de- 
mand 

The   orphan's   ass,  the  widow's     3 

steer ; 
Their   hunted    victims    hide    in     4 

fear. 
Like  wild  beasts  in  the  desert     5 

drear, 

At  morn,  the  refuge  that  con- 
cealed 
Early  they  leave,  to  seek  afield 
What  bread  the  wilderness  may 
yield 


118 


TUE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.  XXIV. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

6  In  the  field,  they  reap  his  fod- 

der, 
and  glean  the  vineyard  of  the 
wicked. 

7  Naked  they  pass  the  night,  with- 

out clothing,  [cold, 

and  with    no    shelter    in    the 

8  They  are  wet  with  the  mountain 

storm, 
and  cling  to  the  rock  for  want 
of  refuge. 

9  The  orphan  is  torn  from  the 

breast, 
and  on  the  sufferer  is  imposed  a 
pledge. 

10  Naked  they  go  about,  without 

clothing ;  [sheaves : 

and     hungry    they    bear    the 

1 1  prepare  oil  between  their  walls ; 
tread     the    winepresses,  —  and 

thirst. 

12  For     anguish      do     the     dying 

groan, 
and   the   soul   of  the  wounded 

cries  out ; 
and  God  heeds  not  the  prayer. 

13  There    are    they    who     rebel 

against  light ; 
they  know  not  its  ways, 
and  they  abide  not  in  its  paths. 

14  At  the  dawn,  the  murderer  rises 

up; 
he  slays  the  poor  and  needy : 
and  by  night,  he  will  be  as  the 

thief. 

15  And  the  eye  of   the   adulterer 

watches  for  the  twilight, 
saying  :  No  eye  shall  see  me ! 
and  puts  a  veil  over  the  face. 


PARAPHRASE. 

To  stay  the   children's  hunger 

keen — 
The  oppressor's  harvest-sheaves     6 

between. 
Or    in     the    vineyard,    fain    to 

glean. 

When     night     and     mountain    1 

storms  distress,  [press, 

More  closely  to  the  rocks  they     8 
Naked  and  cold  and  shelterless. 

Or  orphaned  infants  —  helpless     9 

prey ! —  [away, 

Are  torn  from  widowed  breasts 
Some  debt  they  did  not  owe,  to 
pay. 

Naked  and  hungry  slaves,  they  10 

toil 
To  bring  for  others  corn  and  oil,  11 
Or  tread  the  grapes,  and  thirst 

the  while ! 

Dying  they  groan    in    anguish  12 

strong,  \Jonf/  ? 

Or,  wounded  sore,  cry  out,  How 
In  vain — God  heedeth  not  the 
wrong ! 

But  see  the  enemies  of  light,        13 
Who  hide  their  evil  deeds  from 
sight,  [night ! 

Murder    at    dawn,  and  lurk    at  14 

Adulterers,     that    for     twilight  15 

skies  [fy(?s 

Wait  veiled,  and  say.  No  human 
Shall  penetrate  our  safe  disguise  ! 


CHAP.    XXIV.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


119 


REVISED   VERSION. 

16  They  break  through  houses  in 
the  darkness : 
by    day    they    shut  themselves 

up; 
they  know  not  the  light. 
lY  For  naorning  is   death-shade  to 
them  all : 
when  one  can  discern,  it  is  the 
terrors  of  death-shade ! 

18  Light  is  he  on  the  face  of  the 

waters : 
accursed  is  the  portion  of  such 

in  the  earth  ; 
he  turns  not  into  the   way   to 

fruitful  fields. 

19  Drought  and  heat  bear  off  the 

snow-water, — 
the  under-world  them  that  sin. 

20  The  womb  will  forget  him, 
when  the  worm  feeds  sweetly  on 

him ; 

he  will  no  more  bo  remem- 
bered, 

and  iniquity  will  be  broken,  as 
the  tree. 

21  He   despoils   the   barren    that 

beareth  not ; 
and  shows  no  kindness  to  the 
widow. 

22  And  he  removes  the  strong  by 

his  might; 
he  rises  up,  and  no  one  is  sure 
of  life  : 

23  he  grants  to  them  safety,  and 

they  are  at  rest ; 
and  his    eyes   are    upon    their 
ways. 

24  they  rise  high  ;  a  little  while,  and 

they  are  gone ! 


PARAPHRASE, 

Their  dark  deeds  done,  ere  day  16 

appear. 
They  hide  again.     Like  death  17 

they  fear 
The   dawn,   that   makes   men's 

faces  clear ! 

Doubtless  on  suck  the  floods  will  18 
burst — 

Not  floods  enriching  fields  that 
thirst, 

But   sweeping  o'er   a  place   ac- 
cursed, 

And  vanishing  in  after-drought     19 
Into  the  under-world,  without 
A  trace  !    So  these  shall  pass,  no 
doubt ! 

The  worm  will  feast,  the  womb  20 

forget, 
Nor  any  mention  with  regret 
The  sinner,  like  a  tree  upset, 

Cut  off  untimely — he  who  late 

The  substance  of  the  childless  ate,  21 

And  left  the  widow  to  her  fate  ! 

Nay ;  God  the  strong  dclivereth   22 
With  mighty  power  from  fear  of 

death ; 
In  safe  repose  they  draw  their  23 

breath. 

His  guardian  eyes  arc  on  them 

cast, 
They  grow,  they  flourish;   and  24 

at  last. 
The  summer's  limit  being  passed, 


120 


TUE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.    XXVI. 


25 


HKVISED   VERSION. 

they  are  brought  low ;  like  all 

are  they  gathered, 
and  arc  cut  off  like  the  topmost 

ears  of  corn. 
And  if  it  be  not  so,  who  then 

■will  prove  me  false, 
and     make    my   words    of    no 

effect? 


PARAPHRASE. 

Death  comes  with  kindly  swift- 
ness.    Then, 
As  reapers  reap  the  ripened  grain. 
They  are  cut  off,  like  other  men. 

Yea,  tallest  ears  are  they,  whose 
leaves  [sheaves : 

Are    honored    in    the   harvest- 
Disprove  it,  he  who  disbelieves !  25 


BILDAD. 


1  Then  answered  Bildad  the  Shu- 

hite,  and  said : 

2  Dominion  and  fear  are  with  him ; 
he  maketh   peace   in   his   high 

places ! 

3  Is  there  any  number  to  his  ar- 

mies ?  [arise '! 

and  on  whom  docs  not  his  light 

4  How  then  shall  man  be  just  with 

God,  [born  of  woman  ? 

and  how  shall  he  be  pure  that  is 

5  Lo,  even  the  moon,  it  shines  not, 
and  the  stars  arc  not  pure  in  his 

eyes. 

6  How  much  less  man,  a  grub  ! 
and  the  son  of  a  man  a  worm  ! 


With  Him  are  power  and  majes- 
ty: 

The  heavenly  places  rulcth 
He; 

Their  endless  hosts  His  glory 
see ! 

Before  His  eyes  the  moon  doth 

seem 
To  shine  not,  and  the  stars  are 

dim: 
Shall  man,  a  worm,  be  pure  to 

Him? 


JOB. 


1  Then  answered  Job,  and  said  : 

2  Hast  thou  helped  the  powerless^ 
succored  the  feeble  arm  !  [wise ; 

3  How  hast  thou  counseled  the  un- 
and    understanding    thou    hast 

taught  abundantly ! 

4  By    whom    hast    thou    uttered 

words,  [from  thee? 

and  whose  breath  has  come  forth 

5  The  shades  tremble, 


How    hast    thou    brought    the    2 

weak,  defense. 
And   counselled  with   abundant     3 

sense !  [quence  ? 

What    spirit    taught    this    elo-    4 

The  shades  of  dead  men,   thai     5 

abide 
Beneath  the  su'arm'wg  ocean  tide. 
Tremble  tojind  they  cannot  hide. 


CHAP.    XXVI. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


121 


REVISED   VERSION. 

beneath  the  waters  and  their  in- 
habitants ! 
6  Naked  is  the  under-world  before 
him, 

and   destruction   has   no  cover- 
ing. 
Y  He  stretched  out  the  north  over 
empty  space ; 

changed   the  earth  upon    noth- 
ing. 

8  He  binds  up  the  waters  in  his 

thick  clouds, 
and  the  cloud  is  not  rent  under 
them. 

9  He   shuts   up   the   face    of  the 

throne ; 
he  spreads  upon  it  his  cloud. 

10  A  circling  bound  he  drew  on 

the  face  of  the  waters, 
unto    the    limit    of    light    with 
darkness. 

11  The    pillars    of    heaven    trem. 

ble, 
and   are  astonished,  at  his  re- 
buke. 

12  By   his   power    he    quells    the 

sea; 
and  by  his  wisdom  he  smites 
down  pride. 

13  By  his   spirit  are  the  heavens 

adorned  ; 
his  hand  formed  the  fleeing  Ser- 
pent. 

14  Lo,  these  are  the  borders  of 

his  ways ; 
and  what  a  whisper  of  a  word  is 

that  we  hear ! 
But  the  thunder  of  his    power 

who  can  comprehend  'i 

6 


PARAPlinASE. 

Death  and  the  grave  to  Him  lie     6 

bare, 
Who   spanned    the    North    o'er     T 

empty  air 
And  hung  the  earth  on  nothing 

there. 

In  clouds  securely  prisoned  8 

He     locked    the     waters     over- 
head ; 
Before  His  throne  the  clouds  He     9 
spread, 

And  on   the  sea  His  hand  di-     10 
vine 

Marked  out  the  circling  border- 
line, 

The  light  and  darkness  to  de- 
fine. 

Anon  the  heavenly  pillars  shake  ;  11 
At    His    rebuke,    amazed    they 

quake ; 
His  jMwer  bids  the  ocean  wake  !      12 

Then    He,  whose   wisdom    over- 
threw 

The   monster,   and   the    serpent  13 
slew. 

Breathes,   and  the   heavens  find 
rest  anew. 

Lo  !     this    is    but    the     hither  14 
end  ! 

A    whisper   of  that  power   un- 
kcnned, 

Whose  thunder,  who  can  compre- 
hend? 


122 


THE  BOOK   OF  JOB. 


[chap.    XXVII. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

1  And  again  Job  took  up  his  dis. 

course,  and  said : 

2  As  God  livcth,  who  has  taken 

away  my  right, 
and  the  Almighty,  who  has  af- 
flicted my  soul ; 

3  so  long  as  my  breath  is  in  me, 
and  the  spirit  of  God  is  in  my 

nostrils  ; 

4  my  lips  shall  not  speak  wicked- 

ness, [deceit, 

and  my  tongue  shall  not  utter 

5  Far  be  it  from  me,  that  I  should 

justify  you ; 
till  I  die,  I  will  not  put  away  my 
integrity  from  me. 

6  My   righteousness   I  hold   fast, 

and  will  not  let  it  go; 
my  heart  reproaches  none  of  my 
days. 

7  Let  my  enemy  be  as  the  wicked, 
and  he  that  rises  up  against  me, 

as  the  unrighteous. 

8  For  what  is  the  hope  of  the  im- 

pure, though  he  despoil, 
when  God  shall  take  away  his 
soul? 

9  Will  God  hear  his  cry,       [him  ? 
when  distress  shall  come  upon 

10  "Will  he  delight  himself  in  the 

Almighty  ? 
will  he  call  on  God,  at  all  times  ? 

11  I  will    teach    you,    concerning 

God's  hand ; 
what  is  with  the  Almighty  I  will 
not  conceal. 

12  Lo,  all  ye  yourselves  have  seen  it; 
and  why  then  speak  yc  what  is 

utterly  vain? 


PARAPHRASE. 

By  Him  I  swear,  whose  awful     2 

might 
Hath  wrung  my  soul  and  wronged 

my  right : 
Until   my   breath   forsakes  me    3 

quite 

(His  spirit  in  my  nostrils),  I 

With  lip  and  tongue  disdain  to    4 

he, 
Your  slanderous  words  to  jus-     5 

tify! 

Yea,  until  death  shall  take  mc 
hence, 

I    will    maintain     mine     inno-     6 
cence 

And  memory  clear   of   all   of- 
fence. 

Evil  I  hold  the  sinner's  lot ;  7 

God  calls  his  soul,  and  gains  ill-    8 

got 
For  help   or  hope    avail    him 

not. 

Will   God   console    in    his    de-    9 

spair? 
Will    he    delight    in    God,    or  10 

dare 
Ever   draw  near   to   Him  with 

prayer  ? 

Yet  ye   have    seen  —  need    I  (12) 

again 
Teach  you  the  ways  of  God  to  .11 

men? 
Why    do    ye    say     so    vainly  12 

then. 


CHAP.    XXVII.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


123 


REVISED    VERSION. 

13  This  is  the  portion  of  a  wicked 

man  with  God, 
and  the  heritage  of  oppressors, 
which  they  receive  from  the 
Almighty. 

14  If  his  children  multiply,  it  is  for 

the  sword ; 
and  his   oflFspring  shall  not  be 
satisfied  with  bread. 

15  In  the  pestilence  shall  they  that 

remain  to  him  be  buried, 
and  his  widows  shall  not  bewail ! 

16  If  he  heap  up  silver,  as  the  dust, 
and    prepare    raiment,    as    the 

clay; 
1*7  he  may  prepare,  but  the   just 
shall  put  it  on, 
and  the  silver  shall  the  innocent 
divide. 

18  He  builds,  like  the   moth,   his 

house ; 
and  as  a  booth,  which  the  watch- 
man makes. 

19  The  rich  man  shall  lie  down,  and 

shall  not  be  gathered ; 
he  opens  his  eyes,  and  he  is  gone ! 

20  Terrors,  like   the  waters,  shall 

overtake  him ; 
by  night,  the  whirlwind  snatches 
him  away. 

21  The  East-wind  carries  him  away, 

and  he  is  gone ; 
yea,  it  hurls  him  out  of  his  place. 

22  For  He  shall  cast  at  him,  and 

will  not  spare : 
he  would  fain   flee  out  of  his 
hand. 

23  They  clap  their  hands  at  him, 
and  hiss  him  out  of  his  place. 


PARAPHRASE. 

This  is  (he  wickaVs  heritage :         13 
Agaiiist  his  sons  the  sword  shall  14 

wage 
A  fatal  war,  and  famine's  rage 

And  pestilence  dire  the  last  con-  15 

sume  : 
Not  even  his  widows  from   the 

doom 
Escape,  to  wail  above  his  tomb. 

Though  silver  he  like  dust  possess,  1 6 
And  robes  like  clay  for  common- 
ness, 
Thejrist  shall  win  them,  ne'erthe-  17 
less. 

His  house,  ye  say,  a  moths-wing,  1 8 

breaks  : 
A  booth,  some  vineyard-watchman 

makes, 
Uses  awhile,  and  soon  forsakes. 

The  rich,  ye  say,  shall  by-and-by   19 
From  sleep  in  terror  suddenly, 
All  unattended,  wake  and  die  I 

A  flood  shall  take  him  by  sur-  20 

prise  ; 
A  whirlwind  from  the  midnight  21 

skies 
Snatch  him  away  ere  he  ariie. 

He  flies — God^s  arrow  doth  not  22 

miss  ! 
And  all  men  clap  their  hands  and 

hiss. 
Why  do  you  vainly  tell  me  this  ? 


12i 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  [chap,  xxviii. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

1  For  there  is  a  vein  for  the  sil- 

ver, 
and  a  place  for  the  goU,  which 
they  refine. 

2  Iron  IS  taken  out  of  the  dust, 
and   stone   is  fused    into   cop- 
per. 

3  He  puts  an  end   to  the  dark- 

ness; 
and  he  searches  out,  to  the  very 

end, 
stones  of  thick  darkness  and  of 

death-shade. 

4  He   drives   a    shaft   away  from 

man's  abode; 
forgotten  of  the  foot, 
they  swing  suspended,  Air  from 

men ! 

5  The  earth,  out  of  it  goes  forth 

bread ; 
and  under   it,  is   destroyed   as 
with  fire. 

6  A   place   of  sapphires,    are  its 

stones ; 
and  it  has  clods  of  gold. 

7  The  path,  no  bird  of  prey  has 

known  it, 
nor  the  falcon's  eye  glanced  on 
it; 

8  nor  proud  beasts  trodden  it, 
nor  roaring  lion  passed  over  it. 

9  Against  the  flinty  rock  he  puts 

forth  his  hand ; 

he  overturns   mountains,   from 
the  base. 
10  In  the  rock  he  cleaves  out  riv- 
ers; 

and  his  eye  sees  every  precious 
thing. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Silver  and  gold  yet  unrefined,  1 

And    iron,  and    the  ores  com-     2 

billed 
That  copper  yield,  in  veins  are 

mined. 

Man    presses    to    the    farthest     3 
bound 

Of  darkness  in  his  search  pro- 
found ; 

Yea,  death-dark  are  the  rocks 
around  ! 

He  drives  his  shaft.     Men  come    4 
and  go 

Above   his  head,   and    do  not 
know 

Who  swings  suspended  far  be- 
low. 

Above,  the  peaceful   field  and     5 
fold; 

Beneath,  the  flame  reaps  har- 
vests old. 

Whose  grain  is  gems,  whose  soil    6 
is  gold. 

No  hawk's  or  vulture's  piercing     7 
eye 

Did   e'er  this   secret    path  de- 
scry. 

Nor  prowling  beast  these  cham-    8 
bers  try. 

Anon,  the  flinty  rocks  men  face,     9 
O'crtuming     mountains      from 

their  base, 
And    pouring    rivers    in    their  10 

place ; 


oiixVP.  xxvm.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


125 


KEVISED    VERSION. 

11  lie  binds  up  streams,  that  they 

drip  not; 
and  the  hidden  he  brings  out  to 
light. 

12  But  wisdom,  whence  shall  it  be 

found  ? 
and  where  is  the  place  of  under- 
standing ? 

13  Man  knows  not  its  price; 

nor  is  it  found  in  the  land  of  the 
living. 

14  The  deep  saith  :  It  is  not  in  me ; 
and  the  sea  saith  ;  It  is  not  with 

me. 

15  Choice  gold  shall  not  be  given  in 

exchange  for  it ; 
nor  shall  silver  be  weighed  for 
its  price. 

16  It  cannot  be  weighed  with  gold 

of  Ophir,  [phire. 

with  the  precious  onyx  and  sap- 

17  Gold  and  glass  shall  not  be  com- 

pared with  it, 
nor  vessels  of  line  gold  be  an 
exchange  for  it. 

18  Corals  and  crystal  shall  not  be 

named ; 
and  the  possession  of  wisdom  is 
more  than  pearls. 

19  The  topaz  of  Ethiopia  shall  not 

be  compared  with  it; 
it  shall  not  be  weighed  with  pure 
gold. 

20  But  wisdom,  whence  comes  it  ? 
and  where  is  the  place  of  under- 
standing? 

21  since  it  is  hidden  from  the  eyes 

of  all  living,  [heaven, 

and  covered  from  the  fowls  of 


TARArnRASE. 

Then  guide  the  streams  on  either  11 

hand. 
And  closely  search  the  glittering 

strand 
For  treasures  hidden  in  its  sand. 

But  wisdom  is  more  hard  to  win.  13 
Who  knoweth  where  he  needs  12 

begin, 
To  find  the  place  it  hideth  in  ? 

Earth   saith.   It   is    not   in   my  14 

caves  ; 
And  ocean.  Not  beneath  my  waves; 
Nor   can  he    purchase   it   who  15 

craves. 

Nor  gold   nor  silver  pays  the 

debt— 
Not  gold  of  Ophir,  costlier  yet      16 
With   onyx  and  with  sapphire 

set; 

Not  vessels  of  pure  gold  alone,     lY 
Or    gold    with    glass,    adroitly 

blown. 
Or  corals,  clasping  crystal  stone :  18 

Not   pearls   or   southei'n   topaz  19 

mate 
The  price  of  its  possession  great ; 
Not  pure  gold,  measured  weight 

for  weight. 

Yea,  whence  doth  wisdom  come,  20 

where  hide, 
Covered  from  all,  and  undescricd  21 
By  birds  of  heaven  the  kccncst- 

cyed  ? 


126 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.  XXIX. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

22  Destruction  and  death  say  : 
with  our  ears  have  we  heard  the 

fame  of  it. 

23  God     understands   the   way   to 

it, 
and  he  Ivnows  the  place  of  it. 

24  For  he,  to  the  ends  of  the  earth 

he  looks ; 
and   he   sees   under   the   whole 
heaven: 

25  to   make    the    weight    for   the 

wind ; 
and  he  meted  out  the  waters  by 
measure. 

26  When  he  made  a  decree  for  the 

rain, 
and   a  track  for  the   thunders' 
flash  ; 


PARAPnUASE. 

Death   cannot  find   it,   or   de-     22 

cay; 
Our  ears  have  heard   its  fame, 

they  say ; 
God   only   knowcth    place   and  23 

way. 

He  looketh  to    earth's   borders  24 

wide 
Beneath   the    skies     on    every 

side; 
Weigheth  and  mcasurcth    wind  25 

and  tide. 

What  time  he  gave  the  law  to  26 
rain, 

And  tracks  of  hghtning  did  or- 
dain. 


And    unto    man.    Behold,    said  28 

He, 
To  fear    the   Lord,  from    evil 

fee— 
77ns  thy  sufficient  wisdom  be  ! 


21  then  he  saw,  and  he  declared  it ;  I  He    saw,    declared    it,    fixed    it  21 
he      established     it,     yea     and        plain ! 
searched  it  out. 
28  And  to  man  he  said  : 

Behold,  the  fear  of  the   Lord, 

that  is  wisdom; 
and  to  depart  from  evil  is  under- 
standing. 
1     And  again  Job  took  up  his  dis- 
course, and  said : 
■  2  0   that   I    were   as   in    months 
past, 
as  in  days  when  God  preserved 
me : 

3  when  his  lamp  shincd  over  my 

head; 
by  his  light  I  walked  through 
darkness. 

4  As  I  was  in  my  autumn  days, 
when  the  favor  of  God  was  over 

my  dwelling ; 


0    were      I      as      in     months     2 

agone. 
Where  God's  defence  was  round 

mc  thrown, 
His    guiding    lamp    above     me     3 

shone ! 

Fair  autumn  days,  when  o'er  my     4 

tent 
God's  favor  like  a  firmament 
Hung   full    of  bounty   yet   un- 
spent ! 


cnAP.  XXIX.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


127 


REVISED    VERSION. 

5  while  yet  the  Almighty  was  with 

me, 
my  children  were  round  about 
me; 

6  when  my  steps  were  bathed  in 

milk, 
and  the  rock  poured  out  by  me 
streams  of  oil. 

7  When  I  went  forth  to  the  gate 

by  the  city, 
and  placed  my  seat  by  the  broad 
way; 

8  young  men  saw  me,   and    hid 

themselves, 
and   old  men  rose,   and  stood 
up. 

9  Princes  refrained  from  words, 
and   laid   the  hand  upon   their 

mouth. 

10  The    voice     of     Nobles    was 

hushed, 
and  their  tongue  cleaved  to  their 
palate. 

11  For  the  ear  heard,  and  blessed 

me ; 
and  the  eye  saw,  and  witnessed 
for  me. 

12  Because   I  delivered   the   poor 

that  cried, 
and  the  orphan,  and  hun  that 
had  no  helper. 

13  The   blessing  of  the  perishing 

came  upon  me, 
and  the  heart  of  the  widow  I 
made  to  sing  for  joy. 

14  I  put  on  righteousness ;  and  it 

clothed  itself  with  me : 
as  a  mantle  and  a  turban,  was 
my  rectitude. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Yea,  God  was   with   me.      All     5 

around 
My  children   stood.     The   very 

ground 
Streamed    milk    and    oil,   with     6 

plenty  crowned. 

When  forth  I  fared,  and  placed     7 
my  seat 

Where  by  the  gate  the  towns- 
men meet 

In  crowds    along   the  broadest 
street, 

Young  men  who  saw  me  hid  from     8 

view ; 
Old  men  arose   with   reverence 

due; 
Nobles  were  dumb,  and  princes    9 

too. 

For  their  ears  heard,  nor  praise  11 
denied. 

And  their  eyes  saw   and   testi- 
fied 

How  I  delivered  him  that  cried.    12 

Orphans  and  friendless  poor  did 

bring 
The  benison  of  the  perishing;      13 
I  made    the   widow's    heart  to 

sing. 

With  righteousness   I   was   en-  14 
dued — 

An  outward   grace,   an   inward 
good — 

A    robe,    a     crown     of    recti- 
tude. 


128 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.  xxis. 


REVISED    VERSION. 

15  I  was  eyes  to  the  blind, 
and  foet  was  I  to  the  lame. 

IG  I  was  a  father  to  the  needy  ; 
and  the  cause  of  him  I  knew 
not,  I  searched  it  out. 

17  And  I  broke  the  fangs  of  the 

wicked, 
and  from  his  teeth  I  dashed  the 
prey. 

18  And  I  said:  Surely,  I  shall  ex- 

pire in  my  nest ; 
and  as  the  sand,  shall  I  rpultiply 
days ; 

19  my  root  is  open  to  the  waters, 
and  the  dew  lies  all  night  on  my 

branch  ; 

20  my  glory  is  fresh  upon  me, 

and  my  bow  is  renewed  in  my 
hand. 

21  To  me  they  gave  ear,  and  wait- 

ed; 
they  were  silent  for  my  counsel. 

22  After  my  word,  they  spoke  not 

again  ; 
and    my  speech   distilled   upon 
them. 

23  Yea,  they  waited  for  me  as  for 

the  rain, 

and  opened  wide  their  mouth,  as 
for  the  latter  rain. 
21  I  smiled    upon  them,  they  be- 
lieved it  not ; 

nor  let  the  light  of  my  counte- 
nance fall. 
25  Their  way   I  chose,  and  sat  as 
chief, 

and  dwelt  as  king  in  the  host, 

as  one  who  comforts  the  mourn- 


PAEAPHRASE. 

I  was  as  eyes  unto  the  blind,  15 
Feet  to  the  lame  ;  a  father  kind  16 
The  needy  did  not  fail  to  find. 

I  did  search  out  the  stranger's 

cause. 
And  broke  the  fangs  of  wicked  17 

jaws,  [and  claws. 

Snatching  the  prey    from  teeth 

And  I  said;  Like  the  phoenix,  I    18 
My  prosperous  days  shall  multiply^ 
Until  ill  mine  own  nest  I  die  ! 

My  waicred  root  and  branch  be-  19 

dewed,  [ful  ivood  ; 

Clothe  with  fresh  green  the  fruit- 
My  strength  is  like  a  bow  renewed.  20 

Yea,  for  my  words  the  listening  21 

folk 
Waited  in  silence  till  I  spoke. 
Nor  afterwards  the  silence  broke.  22 

My  speech  upon  them  was  dis-  23 

tilled  [is  .spilled, 

As   rain  in  mouths    of   flowers 
That  open  thirsty  to  be  filled. 

On  whom  I  smiled,  could  scarce  24 

believe 
Their  lot,  such  fortune  to  receive, 
Nor  dared  that  smile   away   to 

grieve. 

Their  way  I  chose.  Achieflsate,  26 
A  king  amid  his  armies  great, 
A  comfort  to  the  desolate ! 


CHAP.    XXX.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


129 


REVISED    VERSION, 

1  BtJT  now,  they  mock  at  me, 
they  who  are  inferior  to  me  in 

years ; 
whose  fathers  I  disdained, 
to   set  with    the    dogs   of  my 

flock. 

2  Even  the  strength  of  their  hands, 

what  is  it  to  me, 
they  in  whom  old  age  is  perish- 
ing? 

3  with  want  and  with  hunger  fam- 

ished ! 
who  feed  on  the  desert,  the  dark- 
ness of  utter  desolation ; 

4  who  pluck  the  salt-plant  by  the 

bushes, 
and  broom-roots  arc  their  food. 

5  From  the  midst  are  they  driven 

forth ; 
they  cry  out  against  them,  as 
against  the  thief; 

6  to  dwell  in  gloomy  gorges, 

ia    holes    of     the    earth    and 

rocks. 
"7  They  bray  among  the  bushes  ; 
stretch  themselves  beneath  the 

brambles. 

8  Sons  of  the  foolish,  yea,  sons  of 

infamy ! 
they    are    beaten    out    of   the 
land. 

9  And  now,  I  am  become  their 

song; 
yea,  I  am  become  a  bye-word 

for  them. 
10  They  abhor  me ;  they  stand  aloof 

from  me ; 
they  forbear  not  to  spit  before 

my  face. 


rARAPHRASE. 

But  now   around  me  mocking     1 

creep 
Young    men,     whose    sires     I 

scorned  to  keep 
Among  the  dogs   that   watched 

my  sheep. 

A  tribe  to  useless  weakness  bred,     2 
In   whom   old   age    was    well- 
nigh  dead. 
By  want  and  hunger  famished,        3 

They  gnaw  in  desert  solitude  4 

The  salt-plant,  by  the  thickets 
rude,  [food. 

Or  gather  broom-roots  for  their 

Outcast    from     men,     unhappy     5 

slaves ! 
Hunted  with  cries,  like  thievish 

knaves,  [caves, 

They  dwell  in  gloomy  glens  and     6 

Beast  like  among  the  bushes  cry,     7 
Or  underneath  the  brambles  lie, 
Wliipt  heathen,  sons  of  infamy !     8 

Now  I    become — 0    deep    dis-     9 

grace ! — 
Their  song,  their  by-word.   From 

my  place  [face. 

They  turn,  and  spit  before  my  10 

Because  the  Almighty  loosed  His  1 1 

rein 
To  ride  me  down,  they  too  are 

fain 
With    bridles  loose   to   charge 

amain. 


130 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[cnAP.  XXX. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

11  Because    lie  has  let   loose  his 

rein  and  humbled  me, 
tliey  also  cast  off  the  bridle  be- 
fore me. 

12  On  the  right  hand  rises  up  a 

biood; 
'       my  feet  they  thrust  aside  ; 

they  cast  up  against  me  their 
ways  of  destruction. 

13  They  break  up  my  path ; 
they  aid  on  my  fall ; 

there  is  no  helper  against  them ! 

14  As  at  a  wide  breach,  they  come 

in; 

they  roll  on  beneath  the  ruin. 

15  Terrors     are     turned     against 

me; 
they  chase  away,  like  the  wind, 

my  princely  state, 
and  my  prosperity  has   passed 

like  the  cloud. 

16  And  now,  my  soul  is  poured 

out  within  me ; 
the  days  of  trouble  have  taken 
hold  of  me. 

17  By  night,  my  bones  are  pierced 

and  severed  from  me, 
and     my    gnawers      take    no 
rest. 

18  By  sore  violence,  my  covering  is 

disfigured ; 
like  my  inner  garment  it  girds 
mo  round. 

19  He    has    cast    me     into     the 

mire, 
and  I  am  become  like  the  dust 
and  ashes. 

20  I  cry  unto  thee,  and  thou  an- 

swerest  me  not ; 


PARAPHIIASE. 

Lo,  on  the  sight  arise  a  swarm     12 
To  thrust  me  forth  with  violent 

arm  ! 
Their  ways  they  build  to  work 

me  harm. 

Destroy  the  pathways  round  my  13 

wall. 
And   press   the   fortress  to  its 

fall: 
In  vain  for  any  help  I  call ! 

The  wall  is  weak,  the  breach  is  14 

wide ; 
Among  the  ruins,  like  a  tide. 
They  pour  their  terrors  multi- 

phed ; 

And  in  the  tempest  of  their  hate,  15 
A  wind-swept  cloud,  my  princely 

state 
Departs,  to  leave  me  desolate. 

My  soul  within   me  melts  and  16 

flows 
To  feel  by  day  the  clutch  of  woes. 
And  pain  by  night  that  comes  17 

and  goes, 

Piercing  my  bones  and  gnawing 

keen, 
Unpausing.    My  disfigured  skin,  18 
A  loathsome  garment,  wraps  me 


Into  the  mire,  0  God  !  Tftouhast  19 
Me  like  the  dust  and  ashes  cast, 
A  thing  despised,  whose  use  is 
past. 


CHAP.    XXX.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


131 


REVISED    VERSION. 

I    Stand,    and    thou    observcst 
me. 

21  Thou     art     become     cruel     to 

me ; 
with  thy  strong  hand  thou  Host 
in  wait  for  me. 

22  Thou    dost     hft     mo    to    the 

wind,    and  let  me  be   borne 
away, 
and  be  dissolved  in  the  tempest's 
crash. 

23  For  I  know  thou  wilt  bring  me 

to  death, 
and  to  the  house  appointed  for 
all  the  living. 

24  Yea,  there  is  no  prayer,  when 

He  stretches  out  the  hand  ; 
nor,  when  He  destroys,  can  they 
cry  for  help. 

25  Verily,  I  have  wept    for  him 

whose  lot  is  hard, 
and  my  soul  has  sorrowed  for 
the  needy. 

26  When  I  looked  for  good,  then 

evil  came ; 
and  I  waited  for  light,  but  there 
came  darkness. 

27  My  bowels  are  made  to  boil,  and 

have  no  rest ; 
the  days  of  trouble  have  over- 
taken me. 

28  I   go   blackened,  but  not  with 

sun-heat : 
I  stand  up  in  the  congregation, 
I  implore  help. 

29  I    am    become    a    brother    to 

Jackals, 
and  a  companion  to  the  Ostrich- 
brood. 


PARAPHRASE. 

I  cry  to  Thee,  without  reply.  20 
I  wait — Thou  watchcst  cruelly  21 
To  smite  more  fiercely  by-and-by. 

Thou  liftest  me,  but  only  so  22 

That  I  may  feel  the  tempest  blow 
And  crash  mine  utter  overthrow. 

Thou  bringest  me,  I  know,  to  23 

death — 
That  house,  each  mortal  enter- 

eth— 
And  any  prayer  is  wasted  breath.  24 

Yea,  when  His  hand  is  stretched 

to  kill, 
There  is  no  prayer  against  His 

will ;  [still  ! 

No  help — His  purpose  holdeth 

I  wept  for  every  sorrowing  one  25 
Whose  lot  was  hard,  whose  way 

was  lone : 
Now  I  can  only  wail  mine  own ! 

I    looked    for    good — and   evil  26 

found  ; 
For  light — and  darkness  closed 

around.  [found. 

I  seethe  in  ceaseless  pains  pro-  27 

O'ertaken  by  affliction's  days. 
Blackened — but  not  by  any  rays  28 
From  summer  sun's  too  fervid 
blaze. 

Vain  my  appeal  unto  my  kind ; 
My  brethren  I  must  be  resigned  29 
In  jackals,  ostriches,  to  find. 


132 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.    XXXI. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

30  Mj  skin  blackens  and  falls  from 

me, 
and  my  bones  arc  dried  up  with 
heat. 

31  And  my  harp  is  turned  to  mourn. 

ing, 
and  my  pipe  to   sounds  of  the 
weeping. 

1  I  MADE  a  covenant  for  my  eyes ; 
how  then  should  I  look  upon  a 

maid  ? 

2  For  what  is  the  portion  God  as- 

signs from  above, 
and   the   allotment   of  the    Al- 
mighty, from  on  high? 

3  Is  not  destruction  for  the  wicked, 
and  calamity  for  the  workers  of 

iniquity  ? 

4  He,  does  he  not  see  my  ways, 
and  number  all  my  steps  ? 

5  If  I  have  walked  with  falsehood, 
and  my  foot  has  hastened  tow- 
ards deceit ; 

6  lie  will  weigh  me  in  scales  of 

justice, 
yea,  God  will  know  my  innocence. 

7  If  my  step  has  turned  aside  from 

the  way, 
and  my  heart  has  gone  after  my 

eyes,  [hands, 

and  a  stain  has  cleaved  to  my 

8  Let  me  sow,  and  another  eat, 
and  let  my  products  be  rooted  up ! 

9  If  my  heart  has   been   enticed 

towards  a  woman, 
and  I  have  Iain  in  wait  at  my 

neighbor's  door ; 
10  let  my  wife  grind  for  another, 
and  let  others  lie  with  her. 


PARAPHRASE. 

My  skin  decayeth.     Every  bone   30 
Burneth.      My    harp    can    only  31 

moan ; 
My  pipe  will  utter  sobs  alone. 


I  made  a  law  mine  eyes  obeyed.      1 
How  should  I  look  upon  a  maid 
With  thought  of  lawless  ivrong? 
I  said. 

For  xuhat  hath  God  on  high  dc-  2 

creed 

But  ruin  as  the  sinncr^s  meed?  3 

And  He  disccrneth  every  deed.  4 

If  I  have  walked  in  falsehood —     5 

nay. 
Let   God    in   scales   of  justice    6 

weigh. 
And  know  me  guiltless,  as  I  say ! 

If    from    the    path    of    honor     7 

plain 
Mine  eyes  have  led  my  heart,  for 

gain. 
And  on  my  hands  be  any  stain, 

Then   may  I   plant,  and   other     8 
hands 

Reap  food  from  off  my  harvest- 
lands. 

Uprooting    all    that    on    them 
stands ! 

If  I  for  lust  have  lain  in  wait  9 

To  wrong  my  neighbor,  let  that  10 

fate 
Make  my  own  household  deso- 
late ! 


CHAP.    XXXI. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


133 


REVISED    VERSION. 

11  For  that  is  wickedness ; 

yea,    that    is    a  crime   lor    the 
judges. 

12  For  it  is  a  fire ;  to  destruction 

will  it  consume,  aud  root  out 
all  my  increase. 

13  If  I  spurn  my  servant's  and  my 

handmaid's  right,  in  their  con- 
troversy with  me ; 

14  then  what  shall  I  do,  when  God 

ariscth  ? 
and  when  he  visiteth,  what  sliall 
I  answer  him  ? 

15  Did  not  he,  who  made  me  in  the 

womb,  malce  him  ? 
and  has  not  One  formed  us  in 
the  womb  ? 

16  If  I  keep  back  the  weak  from 

their  desire, 
and  make  the  eyes  of  the  wid- 
ow consume  away ; 

17  and  eat  my  morsel  alone, 

and  the  orphan  hath  not  eaten 
of  it; 

18  (for  from  my  youth,  he  grew  up 

to  me  as  to  a  father, 
and  I  have  been  her  guide,  from 
my  mother's  womb) : 

19  If  I  see  one  perishing  for  want 

of  clothes, 
and  that  the  needy  hath  no  cov- 
ering ; 

20  if  his  loins  have  not  blessed  me, 
and   he   has  not  been  warmed 

from  the  fleece  of  my  lambs : 

21  If  I  have  shaken  my  hand  at 

the  orphan, 
because  I  saw  my  helper  in  the 
gate: 


PARAPHRASE. 

For  this  is  wickedness  indeed  ;      1 1 
A    crime   by   human    laws  de- 
creed, 
A  fire,  destroying  all  my  seed.      12 

If  I  despised  a  servant's  right,      13 
Or  man  or  maiden,  in  my  spite. 
How   should   I   answer   in   His  14 
sight. 

When  God  ariseth,  He  who  doth 
Visit,   inquire  —  who   made   us  15 

both, 
Yea,  fashioned  us  and  gave  us 

growth  ? 

If    I    withheld    what    beggars  16 

prayed, 
Or  caused  the  widow's  eyes  to 

fade, 
Or  no  place  at  my  table  made       \1 

For  orphans  (Rather,  by  my  side  18 
He  like  a  son  did  always  bide 
And   she  hath   found   in  me  a 
guide) ; 

If  e'er  the   naked   met   mine     19 

eye 
And  did  not  bless  me  speedily,      20 
Warmed   with    the    fleece    my 

lambs  supply ; 

If  I  have  raised  my  hand  to  of-  21 

fend 
The  fatherless,  nor   feared   the 

end, 
Because  I  knew  the  judge  my 

friend, 


134 


TUE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[  CHAP.    XXXI. 


REVISED   TERSION. 

22  let   my   shoulder   fall    from   its 

shoulder-blade, 
and  my  fore-arm  be  broken  from 
its  bone ! 

23  For  to  me,  destruction  from  God 

is  a  terror ; 
and    before   his  majesty   I   am 
powerless. 

24  If  I  made  gold  my  hope, 

and  said  to  the  fine  gold :  My 
trust ! 

25  If  I  rejoiced,  because  my  wealth 

was  great, 
and  because  my  hand  hath  gotten 
much  : 

26  If    I    saw    the     sun,    how    it 

shined, 
and  the  moon  walking  in  maj- 
esty; 

27  and  my  heart  in  secret  was  be- 

guiled, 
and  my  hand  my  mouth   hath 
kissed ; 

28  This  too  were   a   crime  to   be 

judged ; 
for  I  should  have  been  false  to 
God  on  high. 

29  If  I  rejoiced  in  my  enemy's  ca- 

lamity, 
and  triumphed  when  evil  befell 
him; 

30  (yea,  I  suffered  not  my  mouth 

to  sin, 
to   ask,   with    cursing,    for    his 
life) : 

31  If  the  men  of  my  tent  have  not 

said, 
where  is  one,  that  with  his  meat 
has  not  been  filled ! 


PARAPHRASE. 

Then  may  that  arm  drop  out  and  22 

break ! 
Yea,  as  before  God's  wrath   I  23 

quake. 
Nor    dare    to    Him    resistance 

make! 

If  e'er  I  put  my  trust  in  gold,       24 
Or   worshipped,    as   I    proudly  25 

told 
With  joy  my  treasures  manifold ; 

Or  if  to  sun  or  moon  on  high        26 
I  paid  mine  homage  secretly,        27 
Kissing  my  hand  when  none  was 
nigh. 

This  too  were  crime:  nor  gold  28 

nor  sun 
And  moon  are  gods ;  and  this 

being  done 
'iVere  treason  to  the  Almighty 

One. 


If  I  rejoice  to  see  my  foe 
By  any  evil  fate  laid  low, 
And  triumphed  o'er  him,  falling 


29 


(Nay,  I  forbade  my  lips  to  speak  30 
With    curses,    my    revenge    to 

wreak, 
Or    with   a  wish     his     life     to 

seek  !) ; 

If  any  in  my  tent  can  say  31 

I  sent  one  man  unfilled  away 
(My  doors  were  open  night  and  32 
day) ; 


CHAP.    XXXI.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


135 


KEVISED    VERSION. 

32  (the   Stranger    passed    not    the 

night  without; 
my  doors  I  opened  to  the  travel- 
er) : 

33  If  I  have  covered  like  Adam  my 

transgression, 
to  hide  my  iniquity  in  my  bo- 
som: 

34  Then  let  me  dread  the  great  as- 

sembly, 
and   let   the    contempt   of   the 

tribes  confound  me ; 
and  let  me  hold  my  peace,  nor 

go  forth  at  the  door. 

35  0   that  I  had  one  who  would 

hear  me ! 
behold  my  sign  ;  let  the  Almighty 

answer  me, 
and     my    adversary    write    a 

charge. 

36  Verily,  on  my  shoulder  would  I 

bear  it ; 
I  would  bind  it  on,  as  a  crown 
for  me ! 

37  All    my    steps    would   I   show 

him, 
as  to  a  prince  would  I  go  near 
him. 

38  If   my  land   cries  out  against 

me, 
and  all  its  furrows  weep ; 

39  if  I  have  eaten  its  fruits  without 

pay, 
and  made  its  tenants  sigh  out 
their  breath : 

40  let  thorns  come  forth,  in  place 

of  wheat, 
and  weeds,  in  j)lacc  of  barley. 
The  words  of  Job  are  ended. 


PARAPIIRASE. 

Or  if,  like  Adam,  I  hUve  tried       33 
Within  my  breast  to  seal  and  hide 
Any  iniquity  beside ; 

Then  lot  me  hide  in  silent  shame,  34 
Nor  dare  to  come  where  once  I 

came, 
And  meet  the  great  assembly's 

blame! 

0  that  there  were   a  judge  to  35 

hear ! 
Behold  my  sign :  let  God  appear. 
Answer,  and   make   indictment 

clear ! 

Upon  my  shoulder  as  a  gown,       36 
Or  round    my   temples    like    a 

crown, 
I'd  bind  the  charge,  to  make  it 

known, 

And   fearless   to   His   presence 

bring. 
To  give  account  of  everything,  37 
Advancing  upright,  like  a  king ! 

If  against  me  my  land  complain,  38 
Its  furrows  wet   with  tears  for 

rain. 
Of  slaves  unpaid  who  toiled  in  39 

vain, 

And  died  through  me,  in  cruel  40 
pain. 

Let  thorns  spring  up  in  place  of 
grain. 

And  poisonous  weeds  alone  re- 
main ! 


136  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  [cuap.  xxxii. 

HEVISED    VERSION. 

1  So  these  three  men  ceased  from'  answering  Job,  because  he  was 
righteous  in  his  own  eyes. 

2  Then  was  kindled  the  anger  of  Elihu,  son  of  Barachel  the  Buzite,  of 
the  family  of  Ram.     Against  Job  was  his  anger  kindled,  because  he 

3  accounted  himself  more  just  than  God :  and  against  his  three  friends 
was  his  anger  kindled ;  because  they  had  found  no  answer,  and  yet 

4  had  condemned  Job.     But  Ehhu  had  delayed  answering  Job,  because 

5  they  were  older  than  he.     And  Elihu  saw  that  there  was  no  answer 
in  the  mouth  of  the  three  men,  and  his  anger  was  kindled. 

ELIHU. 

6  Then  answered  Elihu,  son  of  Barachel  the  Buzite,  and  said : 

Young  am  I  in  years, 
and  ye  are  men  of  age : 
therefore  I  was  afraid, 
and  feared  to  show  you  my  opinion. 

7  I  said :  Days  should  speak, 

and  the  multitude  of  years  teach  wisdom. 

8  But  a  spirit  there  is  in  man ; 

and  the  breath  of  the  Almighty  gives  them  understanding. 

9  Not  the  great  are  wise, 

nor  do  the  old  understand  the  right. 

10  Therefore  I  said  :  Hearken  to  me ; 
I  will  show,  I  also,  my  opinion. 

11  Behold,  I  have  waited  for  your  words; 
have  given  car  to  your  reasonings, 
whilst  ye  searched  out  woi'ds. 

12  .    And  unto  you  I  gave  heed ; 

and  lo,  Job  has  none  that  confutes  him, 
none  of  you  that  answers  his  words. 

13  That  ye  may  not  say  :  We  have  found  out  wisdom  ; 
that  God  may  thrust  him  down,  not  man. 

14  For  he  has  not  directed  words  against  me ; 
nor  with  your  words  will  I  answer  him. 

16  They  were  confounded ;  they  answered  no  more ; 

words  were  taken  away  from  them. 

16  And  I  waited,  because  they  spoke  not ; 
because  they  stood  still,  and  answered  no  more. 

17  I,  I  also  on  my  part  will  answer ; 


CHAP.  XXXIII.]  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  137 

REVISED    VERSION. 

I  will  show,  I  also,  ray  opinion. 

For  I  am  filled  with  words ;  18 

the  spirit  within  me  constrains  me. 

Behold,  my  breast  is  as  wine  that  has  no  vent;  19 

like  new  bottles  that  are  bursting. 

I  will  speak,  and  be  relieved ;  20 

I  will  open  my  lips,  and  will  answer. 

Let  me  not  regard  the  person  of  man ;  21 

nor  will  I  give  flattery  to  a  man. 

For  I  know  not  how  to  flatter :  22 

speedily  would  my  Maker  take  mc  away  : 

But  hear  now,  0  Job,  my  sayings,  1 

and  give  ear  to  all  my  words. 

Lo  now,  I  have  opened  my  mouth,  2 

my  tongue  has  spoken  in  my  palate. 

My  words,  they  are  the  integrity  of  my  heart,  3 

and  my  lips  speak  knowledge  purely. 

The  Spirit  of  God  made  me,  4 

and  the  breath  of  the  Almighty  gives  me  life. 
If  thou  art  able,  answer  me ;  6 

array  thyself  against  me,  take  thy  stand. 
Lo,  I  am  of  God  as  thou  art ;  6 

I  too  was  taken  from  the  clay. 

Lo,  the  dread  of  me  will  not  make  thee  afraid  *l 

nor  my  burden  be  heavy  upon  thee. 

But  thou  hast  said  in  my  ears,  8 

and  the  sound  of  the  words  I  heard : 

I  am  pure,  without  transgression;  9 

I  am  clean,  and  have  no  guilt. 

Lo,  he  devises  quarrels  against  mc,  10 

he  regards  me  as  his  enemy. 

He  puts  my  feet  in  the  stocks ;  11 

he  watches  all  my  paths. 

Lo,  in  this  thou  art  not  just ;  I  will  answer  thee,  12 

for  God  is  greater  than  man. 

Wherefore  dost  thou  contend  with  him  ?  13 

for  of  none  of  his  affairs  will  he  give  account. 
For  once  does  God  speak, —  14 

yea  twice, — wheu  one  heeds  it  not: 


138  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  [chap,  xxxiii. 

REVISED   VERSION. 

16  in  a  dream,  a  vision  of  the  night, 

when  deep  sleep  falls  on  men, 

in  slumbers  upon  the  bed. 
16  Then  opens  he  the  ear  of  men, 

and  seals  up  their  instruction : 
lY  that  man  may  put  away  a  deed, 

and  he  may  cover  pride  from  man ; 

18  may  keep  back  his  soul  from  the  pit, 
and  his  life  from  perishing  by  the  dart. 

19  And  he  is  chastened  with  pain  upon  his  head, 
and  with  a  strife  in  his  bones  continually. 

20  And  his  spirit  abhorreth  bread, 
and  his  soul  dainty  food. 

21  His  flesh  wastes  away  from  sight ; 

and  naked  are  his  bones,  that  were  not  seen. 

22  And  his  soul  comes  nigh  to  the  pit, 
and  his  life  to  the  destroyers. 

23  If  there  be  a  messenger  with  him, 

an  interpreter,  one  out  of  a  thousand, 
to  show  unto  man  his  right  way : 

24  then  will  He  have  mercy  on  him,  and  say  : 
deliver  him  from  goiog  down  to  the  pit ; 

I  have  found  a  ransom. 
26  His  flesh  becomes  fresher  than  in  childhood ; 

he  shall  return  to  the  days  of  his  youth. 

26  He  shall  pray  to  God  ;  and  He  w^ill  accept  him, 
and  cause  him  to  behold  His  face  with  joy, 
and  will  render  back  to  man  his  righteousness. 

27  He  will  chant  it  before  men,  and  say : 

I  have  sinned,  and  have  perverted  the  right : 
and  it  was  not  requited  me. 

28  He  has  redeemed  my  soul  from  going  into  the  pit, 
and  my  life,  that  it  may  behold  the  light. 

29  Lo,  all  these  things  doth  God, 
twice,  yea  thrice,  with  man : 

30  to  bring  back  his  soul  from  the  pit, 

that  he  may  be  lightened  with  the  light  of  life. 

31  Attend,  0  Job ;  hearken  unto  me: 
keep  silence,  that  I  may  .speak. 


CHAP,  sxxiv.]  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  139 

REVISED   VERSIOX. 

If  there  are  words,  answer  me ;  82 

speak,  for  I  desire  to  justify  thee. 

If  not,  do  thou  hearken  unto  me ;  33 

keep  silence,  and  I  will  teach  thee  wisdom. 

And  Elihu  answered,  and  said  :  1 

Hear  ye  wise  men  my  words  ;  2 

and  ye  knowing  ones  give  ear  to  me. 

For  the  ear  tricth  words,  3 

even  as  the  palate  tastes  to  eat. 

Let  us  examine  for  ourselves  the  right,  4 

let  us  know  among  us  what  is  good. 

For  Job  has  said  :  I  am  righteous  ;  6 

and  God  has  taken  away  my  right : 

against  my  right,  shall  I  speak  false  ?  6 

my  arrow  is  fatal,  without  transgression. 
Who  is  a  man  like  Job,  7 

that  drinks  in  scoffing,  like  water  ; 

and  walks  in  company  with  evil  doers,  8 

and  goes  with  wicked  men  ? 

For  he  has  said  :  A  man  is  not  profited,  9 

when  he  takes  delight  with  God. 

Therefore,  men  of  understanding,  hearken  to  me  :  10 

far  from  God  be  wickedness, 
and  iniquity  from  the  Almighty ! 

For  man's  work  will  he  requite  to  him,  11 

and  let  each  one  receive  according  to  his  way. 
Yea,  of  a  truth,  God  will  not  do  evil,  12 

nor  will  the  Almighty  pervert  justice. 

Who  has  committed  to  him  the  earth  ?  13 

and  who  founded  the  whole  habitable  world  ? 
Should  He  set  his  thoughts  upon  him,  14 

withdraw  to  himself  his  spirit  and  his  breath  ; 
all  flesh  would  expire  together,  15 

and  man  return  to  dust. 

If  now  there  is  understanding,  hear  thou  this ;  16 

give  car  to  the  voice  of  my  words. 

Can  he  indeed  bear  rule,  that  hatcth  right  ?  17 

or  wilt  thou  condemn  the  Just,  the  Mighty  ? 
Shall  one  say  to  a  king:  0  Worthless!  18 


14:0  ^^^  BOOK  OF  JOB.  [chap,  xxxiv, 

REVISED   VERSION. 

0  Wicked !  unto  princes ; 

19  to  Him  who  regards  not  the  persons  of  princes, 
nor  knows  the  rich  more  than  the  poor  ? 

for  they  arc  all  the  work  of  his  hands. 

20  In  a  moment  they  die ; 

at  midnight,  the  people  are  smitten  and  pass  away, 
and  the  mighty  is  removed  without  hand. 

21  For  his  eyes  are  on  each  one's  ways, 
and  he  sees  all  his  steps. 

22  There  is  no  darkness,  and  no  death-shade, 
whei'e  the  workers  of  iniquity  can  hide  themselves. 

23  For  not  again  does  lie  set  his  thoughts  upon  one, 
that  he  may  go  to  God  in  judgment; 

24  he  breaks  the  mighty,  without  iuquisition, 
and  sets  up  others  in  their  stead. 

25  He  therefore  knows  their  works ; 

and  in  a  night  he  overturns,  and  they  are  destroyed. 

26  As  the  wicked  does  he  smite  them, 
in  the  place  where  men  look  on. 

2Y  Because  they  turned  from  after  him, 

and  regarded  none  of  his  ways  ; 

28  to  bring  up  to  him  the  cry  of  the  weak, 
and  that  he  may  hear  the  cry  of  the  afflicted. 

29  For  he  gives  rest,  and  who  shall  condemn  ! 
he  hides  the  face,  and  who  shall  behold  it ! 
toward  a  nation,  and  tow  ard  a  man,  alike ; 

30  from  the  ruling  of  corrupt  men, 
from  snares  of  the  pcDplc. 

31  Surely,  to  God  it  should  be  said: 

1  have  borne  it;  I  will  not  be  perverse. 

32  Beyond  what  I  sec  do  thou  teach  me ; 

if  1  have  done  evil,  I  will  do  it  no  more. 

33  Shall  he  according  to  thy  mind  requite  it, 
that  thou  dost  refuse, — 

that  thou  thyself  wilt  choose  and  not  I  ? 
tlicn  what  thou  knowest  speak. 

34  Men  of  under.-Jtanding  will  say  to  me, 
even  the  wise  man  who  listens  to  me : 

86  Job  speaks  without  knowledge, 


cuAP.  xxxYi.J  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  141 

REVISED  VERSION, 
and  his  words  are  without  wisdom. 

My  desire  is,  that  Job  may  be  tried  to  the  end,  36 

for  answers  in  the  manner  of  evil  men. 

For  he  adds  rebellion  to  his  sin  ;  37 

in  the  midst  of  us  he  mocks, 
and  multiplies  his  words  against  God. 

And  Elihu  answered,  and  said :  1 

This  dost  thou  regard  as  right, —  2 

my  righteousness,  thou  saidst,  is  more  than  God's  ? 
For  thou  sayest :  What  will  it  profit  thee  ;  3 

what  shall  I  gain  more  than  by  my  sin  ? 
I  will  make  answer  to  thee,  4 

and  to  thy  friends,  with  thee. 

Look  to  the  heavens,  and  see ;  5 

and  survey  the  skies,  that  are  high  above  thee. 
If  thou  hast  sinned,  what  dost  thou  against  him  ?  6 

and  arc  thy  offenses  many,  what  dost  thou  imto  him  ? 
If  thou  art  righteous,  what  givest  thou  to  him  ?  7 

or  what  will  he  take  from  thy  hand  ? 

For  a  man,  like  thyself,  is  thy  wrong ;  8 

and  for  a  son  of  man,  thy  righteousness. 

For  the  multitude  of  oppressions  they  cry  out ;  9 

they  cry  for  help,  because  of  the  arm  of  the  mighty. 
But  they  say  not :  Where  is  God  my  Maker,  10 

who  giveth  songs  in  the  night! 

who  has  taught  us  more  than  the  beasts  of  the  earth,  1 1 

and  made  us  wiser  than  the  birds  of  heaven. 
There  cry  they,  and  he  answers  not,  12 

because  of  the  pride  of  evil  men. 

Surely,  vanity  will  God  not  hear,  13 

nor  will  the  Almighty  regard  it. 

Much  less  when  thou  sayest :  Thou  rcgardcst  him  not!        14 
the  cause  is  before  him  ;  and  wait  thou  for  him. 
But  now,  because  his  anger  visits  not,  15 

nor  does  he  strictly  mark  the  offense  ; 

therefore,  Job  fills  his  mouth  with  vanity,  16 

he  multiplies  words  without  knowledge. 

And  Elihu  added,  and  said  :  1 

Wait  for  me  a  little,  that  I  may  show  thee ;  2 


142  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  [chap,  xxxvi. 

REVISED    VERSION. 

for  there  arc  yet  words  for  God. 
8  I  will  bring  my  knowledge  from  .ifar  ; 

and  will  render  justice  to  my  Maker. 

4  For  verily,  my  words  arc  not  falsehood  ; 
one  perfect  in  knowledge  is  before  thee. 

5  Lo,  God  is  mighty,  but  he  contemns  not ; 
mighty  in  strength  of  understanding. 

6  He  will  not  prosper  the  wicked  ; 

and  the  right  of  the  suffering  he  will  grant. 
1  Ilis  eyes  he  withholds  not  from  the  righteous ; 

and  with  kings  on  the  throne, 
he  makes  them  sit  forever,  and  they  are  exalted. 

8  And  when,  bound  with  chains, 

they  are  held  in  the  bonds  of  affliction  ; 

9  then  he  shows  to  them  their  deed, 

and  their  transgressions,  that  they  deal  proudly; 

10  and  opens  their  ears  to  the  instruction, 
and  commands  that  they  turn  from  iniquity. 

11  If  they  hear  and  obey, 

their  days  they  shall  spend  in  prosperity, 
and  their  years  in  pleasures. 

12  But  if  they  hear  not,  by  the  dart  they  perish, 
and  expire  without  knowledge. 

13  So  the  impure  in  heart  lay  up  wrath  ; 
they  cry  not  for  help  when  he  binds  them. 

14  Their  breath  shall  expire  in  youth, 
and  their  life  with  the  unclean. 

15  The  sufiTerer  he  delivers  in  his  affliction, 
and  in  distress  he  opens  their  ear. 

16  Thee  too  he  lures  from  the  jaws  of  the  strait, 
to  a  broad  place  with  no  narrows  beyond  it ; 
and  thy  table  in  peace,  filled  with  fatness ! 

17  But  if  thou  art  filled  with  the  judgment  of  the  wicked, 
judgment  and  justice  will  lay  hold  of  thee. 

18  For  beware,  lest  anger  stir  thee  up  against  chastisement, 
and  a  great  ransoip  shall  not  deliver  thee. 

19  Will  he  value  thy  riches  without  stint, 
and  all  the  might  of  wealth  ? 

20  Long  not  for  that  night, 

where  the  nations  arc  gathered  to  the  world  below  them. 


CHAP.  XXXVII.]         TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  143 

REVISED   VERSION. 

Take  heed,  turn  not  to  iniquity ;  21 

for  this  thou  chooscst  rathor  than  affliction. 

Lo,  God  shows  himself  great  in  his  power ;  22 

who  is  a  teacher  like  to  him  ? 

Who  appoints  to  him  his  way  ?  23 

and  who  says  :  Thou  hast  done  wrong  ? 
Remember,  that  thou  magnify  his  work,  24 

which  men  do  sing. 

All  men  gaze  thereon ;  26 

man  beholds  from  afar. 

Lo,  God  is  great,  and  we  know  him  not ;  26 

the  number  of  his  years,  it  is  unsearchable. 
For  he  draws  up  the  water-drops  ;  27 

rain,  of  his  vapor,  they  refine ; 

with  which  the  skies  flow  down,  28 

they  distill  on  man  abundantly. 

Yea,  can  one  comprehend  the  bursting  of  the  cloud,  29 

the  crash  of  his  pavilion  ? 

Lo,  around  him  he  spreads  his  light,  '  30 

and  covers  over  with  ocean-depths. 

For  therewith  rules  he  nations,  31 

gives  food  in  abundance. 

The  palms  of  the  hands  he  covers  over  with  light,  32 

and  gives  it  a  command  against  the  enemy. 
His  thunder  tells  of  him  ;  33 

to  the  herds,  even  of  Him  who  is  on  high. 

Yea,  at  this  my  heart  trembles,  1 

and  starts  up  from  its  place. 

Hearken  attentively  to  the  roar  of  his  voice,  2 

and  the  rumbling  that  goes  forth  from  his  mouth. 
He  directs  it  under  the  whole  heavens,  3 

and  his  light  over  the  margins  of  the  earth. 
After  it  a  sound  roareth  ;  4 

he  thunders  with  his  voice  of  majesty; 
nor  lets  them  linger  when  his  voice  is  heard. 
God  thunders  marvelously  with  his  voice  ;  6 

great  things  docs  he,  and  we  understand  not. 
For  to  the  snow  he  says  :   Be  thou  on  the  earth ;  6 

and  to  the  pouring  rain, 
even  the  pouring  of  his  mighty  rains. 


144  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  [cuap.  xxxvu. 

REVISED    VERSION. 

7  The  hand  of  every  man  he  seals  up, 
that  all  the  men  he  has  made  may  know ; 

8  and  beasts  go  into  the  lair, 
and  in  their  dens  abide. 

9  Out  of  the  secret  chamber  comes  the  whirlwind, 
and  cold  out  of  the  north. 

10  By  the  breath  of  God  there  is  ice, 

and  the  breadth  of  the  waters  is  straitened. 

11  Yea,  with  moisture  he  loads  the  thick  cloud, 
he  spreads  his  lightning-cloud  abroad  ; 

12  and  it  turns  with  his  guidance  every  way, 
that  they  may  do  all  he  commands, 
over  the  face  of  the  habitable  earth ; 

13  whether  as  a  scourge,  for  its  land, 
or  as  a  kindness  he  allots  it. 

14  Give  ear  to  this,  0  Job ; 

stand  and  consider  the  wonders  of  God. 

15  Dost  thou  know,  when  God  sets  his  thoughts  upon  them, 
and  the  light  of  his  cloud  blazes  forth  ? 

16  Undcrstandcst  thou  the  balancing  of  the  clouds ; 
the  wonders  of  the  Perfect  in  knowledge  ? 

17  What  time  thy  garments  are  hot, 

when  he  lulls  the  earth  with  the  south  wind  ; 

18  dost  thou  with  him  spread  out  the  skies, 
firm  as  the  molten  mirror  ? 

19  Teach  us  what  we  shall  say  to  him  ; 

for  we  cannot  order  it  because  of  darkness. 

20  Shall  it  be  told  him,  that  I  would  speak  ? 

or  does  one  say  a  thing,  that  he  may  be  swallowed  up  ? 

21  For  now,  they  look  not  on  the  light, 
when  it  is  shining  in  the  skies, 

and  the  wind  has  passed  over  and  cleared  them. 

22  Out  of  the  north  comes  gold  ; 
with  God  there  is  terrible  majesty. 

23  The  Almighty,  we  cannot  find  him  out ; 
great  in  power  and  rectitude, 

and  in  fullness  of  Justice;  he  will  not  oppress. 

24  Therefore  do  men  fear  him  ; 

he  regards  not  any  of  the  wise  in  heart. 


CHAP,  xs  XVIII.]        THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


145 


JEHOVAH. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

1  Then   Jehovah   answered   Job 

out  of  the  storm  ; 
and  he  said : 

2  Who    is    this,    that    darkens 

counsel, 
by  words  without  knowledge? 

3  Gird   up  now  thy  loins   like  a 

man; 
and  I  will  demand  of  thee,  and 
inform  thou  me. 

4  Where  wast  thou,  when  I  found- 

ed the  earth  ? 
declare,  if  thou  hast  understand- 
ing. 

5  Who   fixed    its   measures,    that 

thou  shouldst  know  ?         [it  ? 
or  who  stretched  the  line  upon 

6  Whereon  were   its   foundations 

sunken  ? 
or  who  laid  its  corner-stone ; 

7  when  the  morning-stars  sang  to- 

gether, 
and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted 
for  joj ! 

8  And  he   shut  up  tlic  sea  with 

doors, 
when  it  burst  forth,  came  out 
from  the  womb. 

9  When  I  made  the  cloud  its  gar- 

ment, 
and  the  thick  cloud  its  swathing- 
band; 

10  and  appointed  it  my  bound, 
and  set  bars  and  doors ; 

11  and  said:  Thus  far  slialt  thou 

come,  and  no  farther, 
and  here  shall  thy  proud  waves 
be  stayed ! 


PARAPHRASE. 

Who  darkeneth  here  with  foolish     2 

word 
My  covmsel !  Rise ;  thy  loins  up-     3 

gird, 
And  let  thine  answering  voice  be 

heard ! 

If  thou  be  truly  wise,  declare,        4 
When  I  laid  earth's  foundations, 

where 
Wast     thou?     Who    fixed    its     5 

measures  square? 

Who  stretched  the  line  ?  What    6 

sunken  base  [trace  ? 

Held  the  foundation — didst  thou 
Who   laid    the   comer-stone   in 
place  ? 

When   morning   stars   together    V 

sang. 
And  heaven  that  did  overhang. 
With  the  glad  shouts  of  angels 

rang? 

Who  shut  the  sea  with  doors?     8 

When  first 
Uproarious  from  the   womb   it 

burst, 
I    wrapped    it,  like    an    infant     9 

nursed. 

In  swathing-bands  of  cloud,  and  10 

made 
Its  bounds  and  bars.     Tims  far,  11 

I  said  ; 
But  here  shall  thy  proud  loavcs  be 

stayed  ! 


146 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.        [chap,  xxxviii. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

12  Hast  thou,  since  thy  days,  com- 

manded the  morning, 
made  the  dayspring  to  know  its 
place ; 

13  that  it  might  take  hold  on  the 

margins  of  the  earth,    [of  it? 
and  the  wicked  be  shaken  out 

14  It  is  changed  like  the  signet-clay ; 
and  they  stand  forth  as  in  gay 

apparel. 

15  And  from  the  wicked   is   their 

light  withheld ; 
and  the  uplifted  arm  is  broken. 

16  Hast  thou  come  to  the  springs 

of  the  sea,  [the  deep  ? 

and  walked  in  the  recesses  of 

17  Have  the  gates  of  death  been 

opened  to  thee ; 
and   the    gates  of   death- shade 
dost  thou  behold  ? 

18  Hast  thou  surveyed  even  to  the 

breadths  of  earth  ? 
declare,  if  thou  knowest  it  all. 

19  What  is  the  way  to  where  light 

dwells ; 
and  darkness,  where  is  its  abode  ? 

20  That  thou  shouldst  bring  it  to 

its  bounds, 
and  that  thou  shouldst  know  the 
paths  to  its  house ! 

21  Thou   knowest;  for  then   wast 

thou  born,  [great ! 

and  the  number  of  thy  years  is 

22  Hast  thou  come  to  the  treasuries 

of  snow,  [thou  behold ; 

and  the  treasuries  of  hail  dost 

23  which  I  have  reserved  for  the 

time  of  distress, 
for  the  day  of  conflict  and  war? 


PARAPHRASE. 

Didst  thou  e'er  bid  the  dawn  at  12 

birth 
Embrace  the  world  with  glowing  13 

girth, 
And  fright  the  wicked  from  the 

earth  ? 

The  earth  new-stamped,  the  hills  14 

new-clad : 
Gone  is   the  light   the    wicked  15 

had. 
And  frustrate   their    adventure 

bad. 

Hast  thou  the   sea-springs  vis-  16 
ited. 

And  walked  the  deepest  ocean- 
bed. 

Even  to  the  portals  of  the  dead  ?  17 

For  thee  stood  those  dark  gates 

ajar, 
Or  hast  thou  even  surveyed  so  18 

far 
As  earth's  remotest  boundaries 

are? 

Then  say,  where  is  of  light  the  19 

abode. 
And  where  of  darkness ;    what  20 

the  road  ? 
Since    thou    wast    born     when  21 

light  first  glowed ! 

Or  hast  thou  found  where  snow  22 

and  hail 
I  keep  in  treasuries,  lest    they  23 

fail 
Ajrainst  the  dav  of  war  and  wail  ? 


CHAP,  xxxviii.]        THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


147 


REVISED   VERSION. 

24  What  is  the  way  to  where  light 

is  dispensed, 
and  the  east-wind  spreads  over 
the  earth  ? 

25  Who  divided  channels  for  the 

rain,  [flash ; 

and  a  track   for  the  thunder's 

26  to  cause  rain  on  a  land  without 

men, 
a  wilderness  wherein  is  no  man ; 

27  to  satisfy  the  wilds  and  wastes, 
and  cause  the  springing  grass  to 

grow? 

28  Is  there  a  father  to  the  rain  ?  or 
who  has  begotten  the  drops  of 

dew  ?  [the  ice  ? 

29  Out  of  whose  womb  came  forth 
and  the   hoar-frost  of  heaven, 

who  has  begotten  it  ? 

30  As  in  stone  are  the  waters  hidden, 
and  the  face  of  the  deep  cleaves 

fast  together. 

31  Dost  thou  bind  the  soft  influ- 

ences of  the  Pleiads, 
or  loose  the  bands  of  Orion  ? 

32  Dost  thou  lead  forth  the  Signs 

in  their  season ; 
and  the  Bear  with  her  young, 
dost  thou  guide  them  ? 

33  Knowest  thou  the  ordinances  of 

the  heavens ; 
or  dost  thou  establish  their  do- 
minion over  earth  ? 

34  Dost  thou  lift  thy  voice  to  the 

clouds,  [thee  ? 

and  a  flood  of  waters  shall  cover 

35  Dost  thou  send  forth  lightnings, 

and  they  go ; 
and  say  to  thee :  Here  are  we  ! 


PARAPHRASE. 

What   is   the   way   to   sources  24 
whence 

The  light  its  radiance  doth  dis- 
pense, 

Or  the  east  wind  its  vehemence  ? 

Who  guided  thunder-flash   and  25 

rain 
To  water  even  the  desert  plain,     26 
And  make  the  grass  grow  green 

again  ? 

Rain,  dew,  and  ice,  and  frosty  28 

wreath,  [beneath 

Who  hath  begot?    The  stream  29 

Lies  hidden  in  a  stony  sheath  !  30 

Dost  thou  control  the  Seven  that  31 

bring 
With  starry   power   the   gentle 

Spring ; 
Or  canst  thou  break  Orion's  ring 

In  winter's  chain,  or  lead  each  32 

Sign 
Forth  in  its  season,  or  confine 
The  She-Bear  and  her  young  in 

line? 

Or  knowest  thou   the  laws   on  33 

high. 
And   dost   o'er   earth   maintain 

thereby 
The  sure  dominion  of  the  sky  ? 

Will  clouds  in  rain  reply  to  thee,  34 
Or  lightnings  sent  go  instantly     35 
And  come,  and  thunder,  Here  are 
we! 


us 


THE  BOOR  OF  JOB. 


[cnAP.  XXXIX. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

36  Who  put  wisdom  in  the  reins, 
or  who  gave  to  the  spirit  under- 
standing ? 

37  Who  numbers    the    clouds   by 

wisdom, 
and  who  inclines  the  bottles  of 
the  heavens ; 

38  when  dust  is  poured  into  a  mol- 

ten mass, 
and  clods  cleave  fast  together  ? 

39  Dost  thou  hunt  the  prey  for  the 

lioness, 
and   the  craving  of  the  young 
lions  dost  thou  fill ; 

40  when  they  crouch  down  in  the 

dens, 
lie  in  ambush  in  the  covert  ? 

41  Who  provides  for  the  raven  its 

prey, 
when  its  young  ones   cry  unto 

God, 
wander  without  food ! 

1  Dost  thou  know  the  time  the 

wild  rock-goats  bear, 
observe  when  the  hinds  are  in 
labor  ? 

2  Dost  thou  number  the  months 

they  fulfill, 
and  know  the  time  of  their  bring- 
ing forth  ? 

3  They  bow  themselves,  they  bring 

forth  their  young, 
they  cast  away  their  pains. 

4  Their  young  mature,  grow  up  in 

the  field, 
go  forth,  and  return  not  to  them. 

5  Who  sent  out  the  wild-ass  free, 
and  who  loosed  the  wanderer's 

bands ; 


PARAPHRASE. 

Who  taught  the  air  its  myster-  36 

ies. 
Inspired  the  meteor  as  it  flics. 
Numbered  the  clouds  that  fill  the  3Y 

skies  ? 

Who    hath    heaven's    pitchers 

overturned, 
When  dust  in   liquid  floods  is  38 

churned 
And     in    firm    cakes    together 

burned  ? 


Dost   thou   the   she-lion's   prey  39 
provide 

Wherewith  her  whelps  are  sat- 
isfied 

That    in    the    den    or    thicket  40 
hide? 

Dost  feed   the    vulture,   eager-  41 

clawed, 
What  time  her  young  ones  roam 

abroad 
And    in    their    hunger    cry    to 

God? 

Knowest  thou  the  months  wild     1 

goat  and  doe 
Bear  young,  that  soon  forgot-  2,  3 

ten  grow 
And    thrive,   and     unreturning    4 

go? 

Who  made  the  wild  ass  free  to     5 

roam — 
To  whom  I  gave  a  desert  home     6 
In  every  place  wliere  he  might 

come? 


CHAP.    XXXIX.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


149 


REVISED    VERSION. 

6  whose  house  I  made  the  desert, 
and  the  barren  waste  his  abodes  ? 

7  He  mocks  at  the  clamor  of  the 

city; 
the    driver's    shouts    he    hears 
not. 

8  The  range  of  the  mountains  is 

his  pasture, 
and  he  searches  after  every  green 
thing. 

9  Will  the  wild-ox  be  willing  to 

serve  thee, 
or  abide  at  thy  crib  ? 

10  Wilt  thou  bind  the  wild-ox  with 

his  cord  in  the  furrow, 
or  will  he  harrow  the  valleys 
after  thee  ? 

11  Wilt  thou  trust  him  because  his 

strength  is  great, 
and  commit  to  him  thy  labors  ? 

12  Wilt  thou  believe  him,  that  he 

will  bring  home-  thy  seed, 
and  gather  into  thy  threshing- 
floor? 

13  The  wing  of  the  ostrich  waves 

exulting ; 
with   pious    pinion   and   plum- 
age? 

14  Nay,  she  abandons  her  eggs  to 

the  earth, 
and  warms  them  in  the  dust ; 

15  and  forgets  that  the  foot  may 

crush  them, 
and  the  beast  of  the  field  trample 
them. 

16  She  is  hard  towards  her  young, 

as  not  her  own  ; 
in     vain     her     pains,    without 
fearl 


PARAPHRASE. 

He  mocks   the   clamor   of  the     7 

town : 
He  hears  no  driver's  shout ;  his 

own 
Are  all  green  things  on  moun-    8 

tains  grown. 

Or  will   the  wild   ox,   thinkest     9 

thou. 
Bide  at  thy  crib,  or  harnessed 

bow 
And  through  the  valley  pull  thy 

plough  ? 

Wilt  trust  his  strength  to  do  no  10 
more 

Than  bring  thy  harvest  to  thy  11 
door 

And  spread  it  on  thy  threshing- 
floor? 

The  ostrich  waveth  proud  her  13 
plume. 

Yet  doth  no  brooding  cares  as- 
sume. 

Her  eggs,   abandoned  to   their  14 
doom, 

She  leaveth   for    the    sand    to 

warm. 
Forgetting  any  foot  might  harm,  15 
And  foolishly,  without  alarm,        16 

Treating  her  brood  as  not  her 

own ; 
For    God   to    folly    made    her  lY 

prone. 
And    understanding   gave    her 

none. 


150 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.    XXXIX. 


REVISED  TERSION. 

1*7  For  God  has  made  her  forgetful 
of  wisdom, 
and  given  her  no  share  in  under- 
standing. 

18  When   she    lashes    herself   on 

high, 
she  mocks  at  the  horse  and  his 
rider. 

19  Dost  thou  give  strength  to  the 

horse  ? 
dost  thou  clothe  his  neck  with 
terror  ? 

20  Dost  thou  make  him  bound  like 

the  locust? 
his    proud     snorting    is    terri- 
ble! 

21  They   paw   in    the   valley,   and 

exult  in  strength ; 
he  goes  forth  to  meet  the  weap- 
on. 

22  He  mocks  at  fear,  and  is  not  dis- 

mayed ; 
and    turns    not   back   for   the 
Bword. 

23  The  quiver  rattles  against  him, 
the     flaming     spear    and     the 

dart. 

24  With   trembling    and    rage    he 

swallows  the  ground  ; 
he  believes  not  that  it  is  the 
trumpet's  voice ! 

25  With   every   trumpet  he   says : 

Aha! 

and  scents  from  afar  the  bat- 
tle, 

the  thunder  of  the  captains  and 
the  shouting. 

26  By  thy  understanding  docs  the 

hawk  mount  upward. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Yet  when  she  lashes  high  her  18 

side. 
Horses   and   riders   are  defied ; 
She  mocks  them  with  her  flying 

stride ! 

Dost  thou  the  charger's  strength  19 

ordain. 
Or  clothe  his  neck  with  mighty 

mane,  [again  ? 

That,  shaking,  makes  men  shake 

Dost  thou  instruct  him  how  to  20 

bound 
Swift    as   the   locust    from   the 

ground  ?  [sound ! 

In    terrible    pride    his    nostrils 

Men  in  the  valley  scan  the  height ;  21 
He  will  not  wait,  but  in  his  might 
Rusheth  exulting  to  the  fight. 

He  turneth  not  though  hosts  ap-  22 

pear ;  [spear, 

Nor  rattling  dart,  nor  flaming  23 
Nor  sword  dismays  :  he  mocks  at 
fear. 

The  shaking  fields  beneath  him  24 

flj; 

He  heareth  glad  the  bugles  cry. 
And  saith,  "^/ta.'"  in  fierce  re-  25 
ply! 

He  scenteth  battle  from  afar, 
The  thunder  where  the  chieftains 

are. 
The  shoutings  and  the  songs  of 

war ! 


CHAP.    XL.] 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


151 


REVISED   VERSION. 

spread    his    wings   toward   the 
south  ? 

27  Or  soars  the  eagle  at  thy  com- 

mand, 
and  builds  his  nest  on  high  ? 

28  The    rock    he    inhabits  ;    and 

abides 
on  the  tooth  of  the  rock  and  the 
stronghold. 

29  From   thence   he   searches   out 

food ; 
his  eyes  behold  afar  off. 

30  His  young  ones  suck  up  blood  ; 
and  where   the  slain  are,  there 

is  he. 

1  And   Jehovah    answered  Job, 

and  said : 

2  Will  the  reprover  contend  with 

the  Almighty  ? 
he  that  censures  God,  let  him 
answer  it. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Is  it  by  thine  instruction  wise  26 
The  hawk  is  tutored  when  to  rise 
And  spread  his  wings  for  sunnier 
skies  ? 

Or  soars  the  eagle  at  thy  best,  27 
To    build   on   high   his    lonely 

nest? 
From  the  sharp  summit's  craggy  28 

crest 

His  eyes  the  distant  booty  see ;  29 
His  young  for  blood  cry  thirstily,  30 
And  where  the  slain  are,  there  is 
he! 

Will  the  reprover  vainly  try  2 

With   words    the   Almighty  to 

defy? 
Let  him  who  censured  God  re- 
ply! 


JOB. 


3  And  Job   answered    Jehovah, 

and  said :  [answer  thee  ? 

4  Behold,  I  am  vile ;  what  shall  I 
I  lay  my  hand  upon  my  mouth ! 

6  I  have  spoken  once,  and  will  not 
answer ; 
and  twice,  but  I  will  not  again. 


Lo,   I  am  vile ;  what    shall    I    4 

say? 
The    words    already    spoken  ?     5 

Nay; 
Upon  ray  mouth    my   hand  I 

lay! 


JEHOVAH. 


Then  Jehovah  answered  Job 
out  of  the  storm,  and  he 
said: 

Gird  up  now  thy  loins  like  a 
man ; 


Gird  up  thy  loins   now  like   a    7 

man  ! 
I  will  demand,  as  I  began, 
And  make  thou  answer,  if  thou 

can  ! 


162 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.   XL. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

I  will  demand  of  tbee,  .and  Inform 
thou  mc. 

8  Wilt     tbou     even     annul     my 

right  ? 
wilt  thou  condemn  me,  that  thou 
niaycst  be  righteous  ? 

9  Or    bast    thou    an     arm     like 

God; 
and  canst  tbou  thunder  with  a 
voice  like  him  ? 

10  Deck  thyself  now  with  grandeur 

and  majesty, 
and   array  thyself  in   splendor 
and  beauty. 

11  Send    out    the    floods     of    thy 

wrath ; 
and  behold  all  that  is  high,  and 
abase  it. 

12  Behold  all  that  is  high,  and  bring 

it  low ; 
and  tread  down  the  wicked  in 
their  place. 

13  Hide     them    in    the    dust    to- 

gether ; 
bind  up    their    faces    in   dark- 
ness. 

14  Then  I  too  will  praise  thee, 
that   thy  right  band  can   save 

thee ! 

15  Behold  now  the  river-ox,  which 

I  have  made  with  thee  ; 
be  eateth  grass  like  the  herd. 

16  Behold  now  bis  strength  in  his 

loins, 
and  bis  force  iu  the  sinews  of 

his  belly. 
IV  He  bends  bis  tail  like  a  cedar  ; 
the  sinews  of  his  thighs  are  knit 

together. 


FARAPHRASS. 

Wilt  thou  destroy  my  righteous     8 

name, 
And  make  me  guilty,  that  thy 

fame  [blame  ? 

May  be  thereby  discharged  of 

Or  hast  thou  then  an  arm  like    9 

mine, 
A  thunder  like  the  Voice  Divine  ? 
Then  let  thy  power  and  glory  10 

shine ! 

Array  thyself  in  splendors  bright; 
Send  out  in  floods  thy  wrathful  11 

might ;  [smite ! 

Behold   the  high — behold,  and 

Yea,   all  the    proud   and    high  12 

abase ; 
Tread  down  the  wicked  in  his 

place,  [face ! 

And  bide  in  dust  and  dark  his  13 

Then  I  will  also  praise,  and  own  14 
The  strength  of  thy  right  band 

alone 
Able  to  rescue  thee  is  shown. 


Look  now  upon  the  river-ox  15 

I  made  with  thee.     Like  grazing 

flocks 
lie  feedeth.     Strong  for  strains  16 

or  shocks, 

Behold    his    loins,    bis    corded 

paunch ; 
His  tail    that    bends,   a    cedar  lY 

staunch ;  [haunch ! 

The    close-knit    sinews    of   his 


CHAP.    XLI.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


153 


REVISED   VERSION. 

18  His  bones  are  pipes  of  brass; 
his  bones  are  as  bars  of  iron. 

19  He  is  the  chief  of  the  ways  of 

God. 
He   who    made  him    gives   his 
sword. 

20  For  mountains  yield  him  produce, 
and  all  beasts  of  the  field  play 

there, 

21  He  lies  down  beneath  the  lotuses ; 
in    the    covert    of   reeds,    and 

marshes. 

22  Lotuses  weave  for  him  his  shade ; 
willows  of  the  brook  surround 

him.  [not; 

23  Lo  the  stream  swells,  he  startles 
is  fearless,  though  Jordan  rush 

forth  to  his  mouth. 

24  Before  his  eyes  do  they  take  him, 
pierce  through    the  nose  with 

snares. 

1  Wilt  thou  draw  out  the  croco- 

dile with  a  hook, 
and  press  down  his  tongue  with 
a  cord  ? 

2  Wilt  thou  put  a  rush-cord  in  his 

nose, 
and  bore  through  his  jaw  with  a 
hook? 

3  Will  he  make  many  supplications 

to  thee,  [thee? 

or  will  he  speak  soft  things  to 

4  Will  he  make  a  covenant  with 

thee? 
wilt  thou  take  him  for  a  servant 
forever  ? 

5  Wilt  thou  play  with  him  as  with 

a  bird, 
and  bind  him  for  thy  maidens  ? 


PARAPHRASE. 

His  legs  as  pipes  of  brass  are  18 

seen  ; 
His  ribs  as  bars  of  iron  between ; 
God's    masterpiece  1     Yet    mild  19 

his  mien ; 

For  He  who  made  him  dulled  his 

sword, 
And  bade  him   feed  upon  the  20 

sward 
Where  play  the  wild  beasts  in 

accord. 

Through  reedy  coverts  he  doth  21 

wade, 
To  lie  beneath  the  woven  shade   22 
By  lotus  and  by  willows  made. 

He  starts  not,  though  the  flood  23 

o'erflows 
Even  to  his  lips ;  yet  human  foes  24 
Lead  him  ensnared,  with  pierced 

nose. 

But  wilt    thou  put    rush-cords     1 

about 
The  crocodile's  tongue,  or  pierce 

his  snout. 
Or  hook /usjaw  to  draw  him  out?     2 

Will  he  in  fear  thy  grace  implore,     3 
Promise  to  serve  thee  evermore ;     4 
And  wilt  thou  spare  his  life  there- 
for? 

Wilt  thou  play  with  him  as  a  sort    5 
Of    curious    bird,    or,     bound 

athwart. 
Parade  him  for  thy  ladies'  sport  ? 


154 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[OHAP.    XLI. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

6  Will  partners  dig  a  pit  for  him, 
divide    Lim    among    the    mer- 
chants ? 

1  Wilt  thou  fill  his  skin  with  darts, 
and  his  head  with  fiish-spears  ? 

8  Lay  thy  hand  upon  him  ! 

of  battle   thou  shalt   think   no 
more. 

9  Lo,  his  hope  is  belied ; 

is  he  cast  down  even  at  the  sight 
of  him  ? 

10  Xone  so  fierce  that  he  will  rouse 

him  up ! 
then  who  is  he  that  will  stand 
before  me  ? 

11  Who  has  first  given  me,  that  I 

should  repay  ? 
under  the  whole  heavens,  it  is 
mine ! 

12  I  will  not  pass   his  limbs  in 

silence, 
and  bruited  strength,  and  beauty 
of  his  equipment. 

13  Who  has  uncovered  the  face  of 

his  garment  ? 
his  double  jaws,  who  enters  in? 

14  The  doors  of  his  face  who  has 

opened  ? 
the  circuits  of  his  teeth  are  ter- 
rible. 

15  The  strong  shields  are  a  pride ; 
shut  with  a  close  seal. 

16  They  join  one  upon  another, 
and  no  breath  can  come  between 

them. 

17  Each    is    attached    to    its   fel- 

low, 
they  hold  fast  together,  and  can- 
not be  sundered. 


PARAPHRASE. 

Will  partners  bargain  him  away,     6 
And  share  what  Canaan's  mer- 
chants pay  ? 
Think'st  thou  through  hide  or    7 
head  to  slay 

With  darts  and  harpoons  by  the 

score  ? 
Touch  him  but  once — 'twill  soon     8 

be  o'er ;  [more ! 

Of  battle  thou  shalt  think  no 

Behold  the  hunters'  courage  fail !     9 
Even  at  the  sight  of  him  they 

quail ; 
None  is  so  fierce  as  to  assail.        10 

(Then  who  before  my  face  will 

stand, 
Or  strike,  and  wait  my  answer-  11 

ing  hand  ?         [o'erspanned  !) 
Mine  are  all  things  by  heaven 

Nor  be  his  limbs  from  notice  12 

slipped, 
In     beauty    and     in     strength 

equipped :  [stripped  ? 

That  mailbd  garment,  who  hath  13 

Ilis   double  jaws — who  passcth 
'neath  [sheath 

Those  doors,  that  hold  in  open  14 
The  circling  terrors  of  his  teeth  ? 

His  back  is  glorious.     Shield  on  15 

shield 
Firmly  they  hold,  and  will   not  16 

yield,  [sealed. 

Air-tight,  sword-proof,  together  17 


CIIAP.    XLI.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


155 


REVISED    VERSION. 

18  With    his    sneezings    shines   a 

light; 
and  his  eyes  are  like  the  eyelids 
of  the  morning. 

19  From  his  mouth  go  flames, 
and  sparks  of  fire  escape. 

20  From    his    nostrils    goes  forth 

smoke, 
like    a     kettle     with     kindled 
reeds. 

21  His  breath  enkindles  coals, 
and  flame  goes  forth  from  his 

mouth. 

22  In  his  neck  abideth  strength, 
and  terror  dances  before  him. 

23  The   flakes  of  his  flesh  cleave 

fast; 
firm  upon  him,   it   is   not  sha- 
ken. 

24  His  heart  is  firm  as  stone ; 

yea,  firm  as   the  nether    mill- 
stone. 

25  At  his  rising  up  the  mighty  are 

afraid ; 
they  lose  themselves  for  terror. 

26  If  one  assail  him  with  the  sword, 

it  shall  not  hold 
the    spear,  the    dart,    and    the 

mail. 
2*7  Iron  he  accounts  as  straw ; 
brass  as  rotten  wood. 

28  The    arrow   cannot    make    him 

flee; 
to  him,  sling-stones  are  turned 
to  chaff. 

29  Clubs  are    accounted   as   stub- 

ble; 
and  he  laughs  at  the  shaking  of 
the  spear. 


PARAPHRASE. 

His    nostrils    flash  ;     his    eyes  18 

agleam 
The  eyelids  of  the  morning  seem, 
Upshining  through  the  twilight 

stream. 

A   cloud   of  steam   his    nostril  19 

breeds 
With  flame  that  from  his  mouth  (21) 

proceeds — 
Like  water,  boiled  o'er  burning  20 

reeds. 

Strength  clothes  his  neck;   and  22 

in  advance, 
A   courier    grim,    doth    Terror 

dance. 
Affrighting  earth's  inhabitants. 

Firm  cleaves  his  flaky  flesh,  nor  23 

wiU 
Be  loosed.     His  heart  is  firmer  24 

still— 
A  nether  grindstone  of  the  mill. 

At  his  uprising  heroes  quail :        25 
Vain  they  endeavor  to  assail        26 
With  sword  or  spear  or  dart  or 
mail. 

Iron  and  brass  accounteth  he       27 
As  straw  and  rotten  wood  to  be  ; 
The  arrow  cannot  make  him  flee.  28 

Sling-stones  for  him  are  turned 

to  chaff; 
Clubs  arc  but  stubble  cut  in  half,  29 
And  hurled  javelins  make  him 

laugh! 


156 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


[chap.  xlii. 


REVISED   VERSION. 

30  Shard-points  are  under  him  ; 

he    spreads    a  threshing-sledge 
over  the  mire. 

31  He  causes  the  deep  to  boil  like 

the  pot ; 
he  makes  the  sea  like  a  pot  of 
ointment. 

32  Behind  him  he  makes  a  glisten- 

ing path ; 
one  would  think  the  deep  hoar 
with  age. 

33  On  earth  there  is  none  that  rules 

him  ; 
he  is  made  without  fear. 

34  He  looks  on  all  that  is  high  ; 
he,  the  king  over  all  the  sons  of 

pride. 


PARAPHRASE. 

His   belly  rough   with   many  a  30 

shard 
Drags,  and  the  mire  by  ridges 

hard 
As    by    a    threshing-sledge     is 

scarred. 

Tot-like    to    bubble    he     doth  31 

make 
The  sea.     Men  might  his  glisten-  32 

ing  wake 
For  Ocean's  hoary  age  mistake. 

Fearless,  he  owns  no  king  be-  33 

side; 
Himself,  unconquered,  undenied, 
The   king   of  all   the    sons  of  34 

pride  1 


JOB. 


1  Then  Job  answered  Jehovah, 

and  said : 

2  I  know  that  thou  canst  do  all 

things ; 
and  from  thee  no  purpose  can 
be  withheld. 

3  Who  is  this  that  obscures  coun- 

sel without  knowledge  ? 
I  have  therefore  uttered  what  I 

understand  not ; 
things  too  hard  for  me,  which  I 

know  not. 

4  Hear  now,  and  I  will  speak ; 

I  will  demand  of  thee,  and  in- 
form thou  me. 

5  I   have  heard   of   thee  by  the 

hearing  of  the  ear  ; 


I  know  thou  canst  all  things  de-    2 

cree, 
No  purpose  being  too  hard  for 

thee, 
WJio  darJceneth  here,  Thon  saidst     3 

to  me, 

With  foolish  words  my  counsel  ? 

Lo, 
I    have    been     babbling,    even 

so, 
Of  things  too  hard   for  me  to 

know. 

Hear  now,  Thon  saidst;  I  will    4 

inquire, 
And  answer  thon,  to  my  desire  ! 
Yea,  I  had  heard,  and  did  aspire     6 


CHAP.    XLII.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


157 


REVISED   VERSION. 

but  now  my  eye  sceth  thee. 
6  Therefore  do  I  abhor  it, 
and  repent  in  dust  and  ashes. 


PARAPHRASE. 

To  meet  Thee  face  to  face.     But 

now 
I  do  abhor  my  hasty  vow, 
And  prone  in  dust  and  ashes  bow! 


THE   EPILOGUE. 

1  Now  after  Jehovah  had  spoken  these  words  to  Job,  Jehovah  said  to 
EHphaz  the  Temanite :  My  anger  is  kindled  against  thee,  and  against 

8  thy  two  friends ;  because  ye  have  not  spoken  of  me  what  is  right,  as 
my  servant  Job.  Now  then,  take  ye  seven  bullocks  and  seven  rams, 
and  go  to  my  servant  Job,  and  offer  up  a  burnt-offering  for  you. 
And  Job  my  servant  will  pray  for  you.  But  him  will  I  accept,  that 
I  visit  not  the  folly  upon  you  ;  for  ye  have  not  spoken  of  me  what  is 
right,  as  my  servant  Job. 

9  Then  went  Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  and  Bildad  the  Shuhite,  Zophar 
the  Naamathite,  and  did  as  Jehovah  had  spoken  to  them ;  and  Jeho- 
vah accepted  Job. 

10  And  Jehovah  turned  the  captivity  of  Job,  when  he  prayed  for  his 

11  friends.  And  Jehovah  increased  all  that  Job  had,  twofold.  And 
there  came  to  him  all  his  brethren  and  all  his  sisters,  and  all  who 
before  had  known  him ;  and  they  ate  bread  with  him  in  his  house, 
and  mourned  with  him,  and  comforted  him  for  all  the  evil  which 
Jehovah  had  brought  upon  him.  And  they  gave  him  each  a  kesita, 
and  each  a  ring  of  gold. 

12  And  Jehovah  blessed  the  end  of  Job  more  than  his  beginning.  And 
he  had  fourteen  thousand  sheep  and  goats,  and  six  thousand  camels, 

13  and  a  thousand  yoke  of  oxen,  and  a  thousand  she-asses.  And  he  had 
seven  sons  and  three  daughters.  And  he  called  the  name  of  the  first 
Jemima,  and  the  name  of  the  second  Kezia,  and  the  name  of  the 
third  Keren-happuch.  And  there  were  found  no  women  fair  as  the 
daughters  of  Job,  in  all  the  land  ;  and  their  father  gave  them  an  in- 
heritance among  their  brethren. 

And  Job  lived,  after  this,  a  hundred  and  forty  years :  and  he  saw 
his  sons,  and  the  sons  of  his  sons,  four  generations.  And  Job  died, 
old  and  full  of  days. 


158  TEE  BOOK   OF  JOB. 

NOTES. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Verse  1.  Uz.  See  Gen.  x.  23;  xxii.  21;  xxxvi.  28;  Jer.  xxv.  20; 
Lam.  iv.  21.  The  LXX.  say  it  was  on  the  border  of  Idumea  and  Arabia ; 
i.  c.,  bounded  south  by  Idumea,  west  by  Judea,  east  by  Arabia,  and  north 
probably  by  Bashan,  which  the  Mohammedans  confound  with  Uz.  Or  it 
was  part  of  northern  Arabia,  whence  Job  is  a  son  of  the  East.  See 
Terse  3  ;  Gen.  xxv.  6  ;  Judges  vi.  3. — Yerse  2.  Perfect  and  upright ;  i.  e., 
pious  and  virtuous  (two  different  things).  Thus,  "the  pious  /Eneas,"  so 
called  because  he  duly  reverenced  the  gods. — Verses  4,  5.  A  sample  of 
Job's  piety.  Not  superstitious  for  the  age  in  which  it  is  placed.  The 
act  of  sacrifice  now  superseded,  but  the  attitude  of  humility  and  repent- 
ance, even  for  omissions  of  which  he  is  not  conscious,  eternally  appropri- 
ate to  man.  Forsaken,  not  cursed,  but  literally  blessed,  or,  in  secondary 
meaning,  said  farewell  to. — Verse  7.  Roaming  ....  walking.  The  He- 
brew words  indicate  a  roaming  vigilantly,  though  not  on  any  definite 
errand. — Verse  1^  To  thy  face.  In  verse  5  it  is  only  «t  their  hearts. 
An  open  farewell  to  God,  like  that  of  the  Israelites  when  they  set  up  the 
calf  at  Sinai.  Compare  xxi.  14;  xxii.  17. — Verse  15.  Job's  losses  alter- 
nately from  acts  of  man  and  "  acts  of  God."  Saba;ans.  Sons  of  Ham  ? 
Gen.  X.,  7,  or  Shem  ?  Gen.  x.  28,  But  probably  from  Sheba,  grandson  of 
Abraham  and  Keturah,  Gen.  xxv.  3.  A  tribe  of  Arabs,  half  of  whom 
(probably  the  N.  W.  half)  pursued  robbery,  and  the  other  half  commerce, 
vi.  10. — Verse  16.  Fire  of  God.  A  rain  of  brimstone?  Ps.  xi.  5,  or  a 
fire,  according  to  numerous  passages  in  the  Mosaic  books  ?  Not  light- 
ning. If  any  natural  phenomenon  of  the  desert,  perhaps  the  simoom, 
which  in  its  heat  and  appearance  while  approaching  resembles  a  flame. — 
Verse  17.  Chaldeans.  A  regularly  warlike  people,  from  the  northeast. 
Three  bands.  Military  tactics.  Compare  Gen.  xiv.  5;  Judges  vii.  16; 
1  Sam.  xi.,  11.  This  mention  of  the  Chaldeans  may  have  been  suggested 
to  the  author  by  their  revival  of  warlike  power  about  750  B.  C,  under 
Nabopolassar. — Verse  19.  From  the  other  side  :  i.  c.,  blowing  clear  across. 
That  this  might  destroy  tents  and  houses,  travelers'  accounts  prove. 
Matt.  vii.  27. — Verse  20.  First  natural  grief,  then  worship  and  resigna- 
tion.— Verse  21.  Thither:  i.  e.,  to  the  earth.  Compare  Eccl.  v.  15; 
1  Tim.  vi.  7.  In  the  New  Testament  the  thought  is  not  of  returning  to 
earth,  but  of  this  world  and  another. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  159 

Notice  in  this  chapter  the  evidently  poetic  construction  of  the  story : 
the  observance  of  the  "  unities  "  of  time  and  place ;  all  the  calamities 
happening  on  one  day ;  the  various  balanced  agencies ;  the  invariable 
survival  of  one  witness,  etc.  Note  also  that  it  is  the  first  day  of  the 
annual  week  of  feasting,  so  that  Job  cannot  suppose  that  his  sons  and 
daughters  are  slain  for  some  sin  committed  during  the  week,  such  as  he 
was  accustomed  to  offer  sacrifice  for  at  its  close. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Verses  2,  3.  The  repetition  of  i.  7,  8,  is  another  proof  of  artificial 
form.  But  Jehovah  adds  an  expression  of  regret  that  lie  was  persuaded 
to  permit  Job's  affliction.  This  conception  of  God  as  repenting  is  com- 
mon in  the  Old  Testament.  Gen.  vi.  6,  etc. — Verse  4.  Skin  for  skin. 
A  proverb,  meaning  quid  pro  quo,  or  a  fair  bargain. — Verse  9.  Woman 
is  represented  as  morally  the  weaker.  The  difiierence  is  great  between 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments  in  this  respect,  though  even  among  the 
early  Jews  there  were  honored  prophetic  women.  Bless  God  and  die  ; 
i.  e.,  either  Say  farewell  to  God,  and  die,  or  Still  adhere  to  God  and  die. 
The  latter  is  more  completely  ironical,  the  former  more  in  harmony  with 
the  context.  But  both  are  bitter.  The  first  is  adopted  by  Ewald,  and 
explained  to  mean,  Give  up  note,  at  the  command  of  death,  your  God,  to 
■whom  you  have  foolishly  adhered  so  long  in  vain. — Verse  10.  As  one  of 
tlie  foolish  women:  i.  e.,  one  of  the  heathen,  accustomed  to  abandon  a 
god  that  proved  an  incompetent  protector,  and  take  up  another.  But 
Job  says :  "  There  is  but  one  God  from  whom  all  fates  come ;  and  we 
must  take  what  He  sends." — Verse  11.  The  Temanite,  from  the  Idumean 
city  of  Teman,  Gen.  xxxvi.  11,  15,  noted  for  wisdom,  Jer.  xlix.  7.  The 
Shuhit£,  from  Shuah,  Gen.  xxv.  2,  probably  northeast  of  Uz.  The  Na- 
amathite,  from  Naamah,  a  city  of  Judah,  Josh.  xv.  41.  Thus  the  friends 
came  by  appointment  from  the  south,  east,  and  west. — Verse  12.  Job 
out  of  doors,  as  a  leper  would  be,  and  so  changed  that  they  did  not  know 
him. — Verse  13.  The  preHminary  mourning,  Gen.  1.  10;  Gen.  xxix.  14; 
Ez.  iii.  15.     Oriental  politeness,  like  that  of  North  American  Indians. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Job  begins  with  personal  complaint,  and  is  led  by  the  figure  of  the 
pyramids  to  a  reflection  on  the  rest  of  the  grave,  from  which  he  returns 
to  his  personal  trouble.     The  progress  of  the  thought  is :  "  Cursed  be 


160  TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

the  day  of  my  birth  !  Why  was  I  born  at  all  ?  Being  born,  why  did  I 
not  die  at  once,  and  share  the  peaceful  rest  of  the  dead  and  the  unborn  ? 
Having  lived  till  now,  why  do  I  live  any  longer,  who  long  for  death  ?  " — 
Verse  4.  Let  God  not  seek  for  it,  as  a  thing  utterly  gone  and  not  even 
missed. — Verse  5.  Darkenings  of  the  day.  Eclipses. — Verse  8.  Skilled 
to  rouse  vp  the  leviathan.  According  to  Ewald,  the  dragon;  i.  e.,  taken 
in  connection  with  the  context,  probably  an  allusion  to  some  legend,  like 
the  ancient  Indian  and  modem  African  ones,  of  a  monster  which  swal- 
lows sun  and  moon,  causing  ecUpses. — Verse  14.  Ruins.  Pyramids,  as 
proposed  by  other  translators,  gives  a  key  to  the  transitions  of  the 
thought.  Verse  18.  The  captive  slaves  who  built  the  pyramids ;  an  an- 
tithesis to  verse  14. — Verse  19.  Literally,  Small  and  great,  it  is  all  one. 
— Verses  25,  26.  /  took  pains,  wcut  not  proudly  secure.  Compare  i.  5 ; 
Ps.  Ixiii. ;  2  Sam.  xxii.  28 ;  Dan.  v.  20;  Is.  Ixvi.  2 ;  Ivii.  15. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Eliphaz,  the  eldest,  older  than  Job's  father,  xv.  10,  begins  in  a  man- 
ner indicating  that  he  expects  to  offend  Job  for  his  good. — Verses  3-6. 
A  faintly  suggested  charge  of  hypocrisy. — Verse  6.  Fear,  i.  e.,  of  God. — 
Verse  7.  The  attack  bolder.  Either  Job  has  nothing  to  fear,  being 
righteous,  or  his  overthrow  proves  him  wicked. — ^\'erse  10.  This  figure 
of  an  old,  toothless,  forsaken,  and  dying  lion,  is  offensively  like  the  case 
of  Job. — Verse  13.  In  thoughts  from  visions  of  the  night,  or  Wlien  dreams 
bring  faces  of  the  night. — Verse  19.  Literally,  tents  of  clay.  Clay  stands 
for  flesh.  The  tents  are  represented  as  being  crushed  like  moths  ;  a  fine 
simile,  as  all  will  feel  who  have  witnessed  the  striking  or  blowing  down 
of  tents. — Verse  21.  Their  excellency ;  literally,  their  cord,  probably  in 
allusion  still  to  the  tent.  The  spirit  of  this  speech  is  that  a  man  must 
not  question  God's  justice,  because  he  is  certain  to  deserve  its  retributions 
on  general  grounds. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Verse  1.  Who  of  the  saints  on  earth  will  agree  with  you  ?  They  will 
all  say  your  grief  and  envy  are  folly. — Verse  4.  In  the  gate.  See  Ruth 
iv. ;  Prov.  xxii.  22;  Amos  v.  12,  15. — Verse  6.  From  the  thorns,  i.  e., 
through  the  hedge.  The  snare  refers  to  litigants  grasping  after  the  es- 
tate.— Verse  6.  For  man  comes  to  disaster  not  by  reason  of  anything  in 
outward  nature,  but  by  his  own  inward  nature,  as  sparks  fly  upward. 
The  thought  ia  not  that  man  is  doomed  to  trouble,  apart  from  his  moral 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  161 

character,  but  precisely  the  contrary. — Verse  10.  Rain  and  streams  re- 
store fertility  to  tbe  fields;  so  (verse  11)  God  restores  the  humble. — 
Verses  12-17.  These  allusions  to  the  downfall  of  the  wise  and  strong 
are  probably  aimed  at  Job.  Subsecjuently  the  friends  betray  openly  their 
beUef  that  in  his  prosperity  he  had  abused  his  power. — Verse  17.  Happy^ 
i.  e.,  fortunate.  The  same  meaning  belongs  to  the  word  translated 
blessed  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. — Verse  19.  In  six  troubles  .... 
yea,  in  seven.  Six  only  are  enumerated ;  the  seventh  is  omitted.  This 
may  be  a  significant  allusion  to  Job's  disease,  such  an  affliction  not  be- 
ing mentioned  at  all  in  the  list.  Or,  the  use  of  these  numbers  may  be 
merely  proverbial. — ^Vcrse  21.  Bcsfrucfion,  i.  e.,  any  such  providential 
calamity  as  destroys  life  and  property. — Verse  22.  Famine  is  here  the 
scarcity  which  affects  the  whole  land.  The  allusion  in  verse  20  is  rather 
to  personal  starvation. — Verse  24.  Visit  thy  pastures  and  miss  nothing. 
An  evident  improvement  on  the  phrase  in  King  James's  version,  andshalt 
not  sin.  The  idea  common  to  both  is  that  of  shortcoming;. but  the  true 
sense  is  that  the  proprietor  shall  not  come  short  when  he  couuts  his  flocks. 

With  this  speech  of  Eliphaz,  the  issue  is  joined.  The  speech  con- 
tains noble  passages,  and  is  full  of  truths  or  truisms,  so  misplaced  as  to 
be  practically  errors.  Brentius  says :  "  He  who  looks  with  spiritual 
ej'cs  judges  not  the  moral  character  of  a  man  by  his  afflictions,  but  the 
affliction  by  the  moral  character."  It  was  the  very  essence  of  Job's 
trouble  that,  being  righteous,  he  seemed  to  be  forsaken.  But  Eliphaz, 
assuming  at  once  his  guilt,  began  to  deal  with  him  for  that,  applying  a 
series  of  inappropriate  maxims  and  reflections.  Thus  the  inner  false- 
hood in  the  speech  conflicts  with  its  outer  form.  Truth  thus  handled 
becomes  cant. 

The  subtlety  of  this  misunderstanding  between  Job  and  his  friends, 
and  of  the  misunderstanding  of  God  on  the  part  of  Job,  is  the  most  re- 
markable peculiarity  of  this  ancient  drama.  Compare  it  with  "  Prome- 
theus Bound,"  in  which  the  issue  between  the  hero  and  the  gods  is  one 
of  open  hostility  and  brute  force.  Prometheus  endures  his  torture  in 
grim  defiance,  hugging  to  his  breast  the  secret  knowledge  of  a  future  dis- 
aster to  his  tormentor.  There  is  no  tragic  misunderstanding  in  the  plot. 
In  this  respect  the  drama  of  Job  shows  the  higher  art. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Verse  4.  The  figure  is  of  poisoned  arrows,  causing  madness;  and 
hence  taking  away  responsibility  for  wild  words. — Verses  5-8.  Animals 


162  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

don't  complain  when  satisfied ;  but  no  one  can  pretend  content  with 
tasteless  things.  Job  refuses  to  be  such  a  hypocrite. — Verses  8-10.  Ke- 
peats  the  outbreak  for  which  he  was  reproved.  Cut  me  off,  an  allusion 
to  the  swift  destruction  by  cutting  of  the  tent-cords  already  described  by 
Eliphaz.  "  The  thing  which  you  hold  up  as  a  warning,  namely,  sudden 
death,  is  the  thing  I  most  desire.  For  it  would  still  be  my  solace ;  yea, 
I  would  exult  in  unsparing  pain."  The  last  line  of  verse  10,  For  I  have 
not  denied  the  words  of  the  Holy  One,  is  taken  on  Ewald's  authority  to  be 
a  sort  of  ground  of  adjuration.  Job  prays  for  such  a  death  as  Eliphaz 
has  threatened,  claiming  it  as  a  favor  due  to  his  uprightness,  not  a  pun- 
ishment visited  upon  sin. — Verse  13.  Is  not  my  hope  within  me  gone,  and 
recovery  driven  aivay  from  me  ?  A  justification  of  his  prayer  for  death 
as  release  from  hopeless  pain. — Verse  14.  Job  turns  upon  his  friends. 
His  first  thought,  not  so  much  defense  against  their  suspicions  as  re- 
proach of  their  treachery:  a  characteristic  of  innocence.  Ready  to  for- 
sake ;  i.  e.,  sorely  tempted  to  lose  faith. — Verses  15-21.  A  vivid  figure. 
The  caravans  strike  many  miles  across  arid  plains,  calculating  to  reach 
water.  The  brook,  so  full  when  the  snows  thawed,  is  dry.  But  they 
turn  aside  from  their  route  to  follow  up  its  bed,  hoping  to  find  water 
above;  and,  failing  in  this,  they  perish.  Tema,  Ishmaehtes,  Gen.  xxv. 
15,  16;  and  living  in  Arabia,  Is.  xxi.  13,  14.  Sheba:  see  note  on  i.  15. 
— Verse  21.  The  figure  applied :  "  You  are  afraid  of  being  mixed  up 
in  my  trouble."  Those  friends  who  feel  the  danger,  but  not  the  duty, 
of  sharing  a  man's  fall,  are  more  likely  to  forsake  him  than  stran- 
gers who  can  show  sympathy  without  being  themselves  involved.  "  It 
is  high  time  for  us  to  look  out  for  ourselves ;  we  can  do  no  good 
here,"  is  their  feeling.  The  disciples  forsook  Christ  and  fled.  Those 
who  adhered  to  him  in  his  defeat  were  his  mother ;  a  few  loving  wom- 
en who  were  willing  to  lose  all,  if  they  must  lose  him ;  a  rich  man  not 
publicly  connected  with  him,  and  not  likely  (being  on  good  terms  with 
the  authorities)  to  get  into  trouble  by  showing  sympathy ;  and  a  bold 
guerrilla  chief,  accustomed  to  defy  the  opinions  of  respectable  people, 
and  already  arrived  at  his  final  disgrace  and  punishment. — Verse 
2Y.  You  would  even  cast  lots  for  the  orphan,  a7id  dig  a  pit  for  your 
friend.  Strong  examples  of  meanness,  giving  jointly  the  figure  of 
traitors  first  plotting  the  destruction  of  a  friend,  and  then  casting 
lots  to  determine  who  shall  own  as  u  slave  his  fatherless  child. — 
Verses  28,  29.  The  friends  rise,  to  retire  in  offended  dignity;  but  are 
persuaded,  by  Job's  pathetic  though  proud  appeal,  to  stay  and  hear 
him. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  163 


CHAPTER   VII. 


Job  appears  to  ignore  the  presence  of  the  friends,  after  they  return. 
He  addresses  his  meditation  to  God. — Verse  2.  The  slave  pants  for  the 
shade. — Verse  6.  The  figure  of  the  weaver's  shuttle  is  finer  than  that  of 
a  stream  or  a  vapor,  because  there  is  a  periodical  alternation  as  well  as 
a  monotonous  swiftness. — Verse  12.  Am  I  a  flood  of  the  Nile,  or  a  mon- 
ster of  the  wave  (the  crocodile),  that  I  should  be  watched  ? — Verse  17. 
Almost  a  parody  of  Ps.  viii.  5,  and  cxliv.  3,  and  perhaps  a  scornful 
reference  to  them. — Verse  20  (last  clause).  Am  I  become  a  burden  to 
thee?  This  is  Delitsch's  translation,  and  seemingly  the  most  appro- 
priate. 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Verse  4.  Remark  the  brutality  of  the  charge  against  the  sons  of  Job. 
Kind  consolation  this,  to  a  bereaved  parent ! — Verse  8.  Probably  in  allu- 
sion to  the  aged  Eliphaz,  who  speaks  the  wisdom  of  a  past  generation. 
Note  throughout  this  speech  the  bolder  tone  of  insinuation  concerning 
Job's  wickedness. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Verse  2.  Of  a  ti-ulh,  i.  e..  Indeed  !  a  sarcastic  reply,  following  which 
Job  proves  that  he  can  praise  the  almighty  power  of  God  as  well  as  his 
interlocutors.  The  passage  to  the  end  of  verse  10  is,  so  to  say,  a  com- 
petitive hymn,  and  has  hence  been  italicized  in  the  paraphrase,  to  mark 
the  transition  back  to  the  personal  argument.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  both 
in  breadth  of  view  and  in  sublimity  of  diction  Job's  poem  surpasses  those 
of  the  former  speakers. — Verse  5.  A  description  of  an  earthquake. — Verse 
6.  The  pillars  thereof.  This  figure  (even  if  it  be  a  figure)  is  too  common 
not  to  have  a  basis  in  an  accepted  natural  philosophy.  Compare  1  Sam. 
ii.  8 ;  Job  xxxviii.  6 ;  Ps.  Ixxv.  3 ;  civ.  5 ;  Prov.  viii.  29,  etc.  The  ex- 
pression in  Job  xxvi.  7  is  not  inconsistent  with  it,  since  the  pillars  rest 
upon  nothing,  or  in  the  hand  of  God.  We  have  stated  in  another  place 
the  views  of  the  earth's  form,  etc.,  apparently  entertained  by  this  writer. 
— Verse  8.  He  spread  out  the  heavens.  Rather,  He  bows  the  heavens,  Ps. 
xviii.  7,  drawing  them  close  with  stormy  clouds.  Thus  our  expression 
of  a  "  lowering  "  sky.  Treads  upon  the  heights  of  the  sea.  Deut.  xxiii.  29 ; 
Amos  iv.  13;  Micah  i.  3. — Verse  9.  The  Bear,  containing  the  North 
Star,  has  been  called  in  numerous  nation.';,  ancient  and  modern,  by  the 
name  of  some  animal,  and  its  importance  among  the  constellations  has  been 


164  TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

universally  recognized.  Orion,  the  star  of  winter ;  the  Pleiades,  the  stars 
of  spring.  The  precession  of  the  equinoxes  has  changed  the  relation 
which  these  constellations  bore  in  ancient  times  to  the  equinoctial  peri- 
ods. The  secret  chambers  of  the  South,  the  regions  of  the  heavens  visible 
below  the  equator,  and  revealing,  according  to  the  reports  of  travelers, 
strange,  unknown  stars. — Verse  10.  He  doeth,  etc.  Job  concludes  this 
hymn  by  quoting  from  Eliphaz,  verse  9,  to  emphasize  the  superiority  of 
his  own  description  of  the  Almighty's  power. — Yerse  11.  Job  recurs  to 
his  own  case,  as  if  saying  that  all  this  rhapsodizing  over  admitted  facts 
is  aside  from  the  question  at  issue.  God's  wisdom  and  power  would  not 
justify  injustice.  He  goes  hy  me.  Rather,  He  assails  me.  I  see  him  not ; 
so,  in  verse  5,  God  is  said  to  be  move  mountains  "  ere  they  are  aware." — 
Verse  14.  In  this  and  following  verses,  call  and  answer  are  legal  terms, 
like  summons  and  answer  in  our  courts. — Verse  15.  Job  would  not  answer 
as  to  an  opponent,  but  submit  as  to  a  judge. — Verse  21.  A  picture  of 
terrified  confusion  and  the  recklessness  of  fear. — Verse  23.  Tlie  scourge. 
This  phrase  usually  indicates  a  pestilence. — Verse  24.  If  not,  loho  is  it  ? 
This  is  one  of  the  points  in  the  drama  where  the  entire  absence  of  any 
allusion  to  Satan  or  other  malign  spirits  as  the  agents  of  evil  is  most  re- 
markable.— Verse  26.  Reed-skiffs,  the  papyrus-canoes  of  the  Nile. — Verse 
33.  Arbiter  (in  the  common  version,  daysman),  not  mediator,  in  tlie  sense 
of  one  who  negotiates  between  a  superior  and  an  inferior.  The  idea  is 
that  God  and  man  are  not  equals,  and  cannot  submit  an  issue  to  arbitra- 
tion by  a  third  party. — Verse  35.  Itoould  then  speak  witJwut  fear  ;  for 
the  cattse  of  my  fear  is  not  in  me  ;  i.  e.,  in  a  guilty  conscience. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Verse  1.  Job  recurs  to  his  old  complaint.  The  transition  of  the 
thought  from  the  last  chapter  appears  to  be  indicated  in  the  paraphrase 
by  the  word  yet. — Verse  2.  I  will  say  unto  God.  This  speech,  to  the  end 
of  verse  19  (italicized  in  the  paraphrase),  is  not  a  direct  address  to  God, 
but  a  recital  of  what  Job  is  resolved  to  say.  His  actual  appeal  to  the 
Almighty  comes  later,  in  Chapter  xiii.,  if,  indeed,  tliat  also  be  not  a  re- 
hearsal. When  Jehovah  appears  in  answer  to  repeated  challenges,  Job 
has  nothing  to  say. — Verse  3.  And  shine  upon  the  counsel  of  the  wicked. 
The  passage  is  a  bold  allusion  to  the  practices  of  human  justice.  Men 
torture  prisoners  to  make  them  confess,  because  men  have  neither  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  nor  time  enough  to  wait  till  it  is  revealed.  Moreover, 
if  they  let  the  accused  go  from  their  grasp,  tlicy  may  not  be  able  to  re- 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  166 

capture  him,  should  his  guilt  be  made  clear.  Job  declares  that  none  of 
these  excuses  for  the  barbarity  of  imperfect  human  justice  can  apply  to 
God. — Verse  18.  Compare  iii,  11,  etc.  Job  returns  in  conclusion  to  his 
first  complaint,  as  if  to  reassert  that  it  was  reasonable. 

CHAPTER   XI. 

Verse  5.  Zophar  seems  to  reply,  after  the  usual  introductory  sar- 
casm. You  nay  you  tvould  speak  so  and  so  to  God.  0  thai  He  might  show 
you  your  folly  by  granting  your  wish,  and  hy  speaking  to  you  ! — Verse  7. 
To  perfection  ;  Uterally,  to  the  summit.  The  preceding  half  of  the  verse 
is  thus  completed,  and  the  thought  carried  on. — Verse  10.  The  terms 
appreliend  and  call  an  assembly  (in  the  common  version  shtit  uj)  and  gather 
together)  are  legal  phrases,  corresponding  with  arrest  and  open  a  court. 
Zophar  means  to  indicate  that,  if  God  should  appear,  Job  would  find  him- 
self an  arrested  culprit,  not  a  litigant. — Verse  12.  The  loild  ass  ;  not  a 
type  of  stupidity,  but  of  untrained  ignorance. — Verse  15.  A  reference  to 
Job's  words,  x.  15. — Verse  18.  Thou  wilt  search  and  lie  down  without  fear. 
An  allusion  to  the  evening  inspection  of  house  and  fold.  Compare  verse 
24. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  wish  of  Zophar  does  not  awe,  but  enrages.  Job.  He  charges  his 
friends  with  sycophantic  partisanship,  and  turns  upon  them  with  bold 
denunciations  of  God's  displeasure.  This  situation  is  dramatically  and 
rhetorically  very  fine. — ^Verse  3.  Who  has  not  such  things  as  these  ?  i.  e., 
trite  common-places  kept  on  hand. — Verse  5.  The  paraphrase  follows 
the  accepted  version. — Verse  6.  Into  whose  hand  God  bringcth.  The  al- 
ternative reading,  He  who  brings  God  in  his  hand,  is  generally  favored, 
though  not  by  Conant.  Olshausen  suggests  that  the  weapon  in  the  hand 
is  meant. — Verses  6-9.  Job  repeats  his  proposition  that  God  docs  as  He 
will  with  good  and  bad. — Verses  11,  12.  A  challenge,  introducing  a  com- 
petitive poem,  which  occupies  the  rest  of  the  chapter.  The  ancient  fash- 
ion of  reciting  in  rivalry  hymns  to  the  gods,  as  illustrated  in  the  early 
Dorian  contests,  the  Pythian  and  Isthmian  games  (and  in  later  times  by 
the  amaboean  verses  of  Theocritus  and  the  second  Eclogue  of  Virgil), 
may  have  influenced  the  author  of  Job;  but  he  has  employed  it  with  far 
subtler  skill,  furnishing  a  natural  motive  for  the  contest,  more  dignified 
than  a  mere  wager  or  prize.  Job  is  indirectly  attacked  even  by  the 
praises  of  the  Almighty,  recited  by  his  friends  as  if  he  needed  to  be  im- 


166  TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

pressed  with  such  elementary  truths ;  and  it  is  a  part  of  his  defense  to 
show  that  he  can  even  excel  them  in  this  style.  The  present  passage 
rises  above  the  plane  of  the  similar  productions  of  Zophar  and  the  others, 
by  extending  the  view  of  God's  sovereignty  to  include  the  fates  of  nations 
as  well  as  individuals.  He  also  shows  that  God  deals  with  ranks  and 
classes,  not  according  to  human  estimates  of  their  sacredness. — Verses 
23-25.  Supposed  to  be  a  sign  that  the  book  was  composed  after  the  be- 
ginning of  the  national  disasters  of  the  Hebrews. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Job  resumes  the  direct  address. — Verses  1,  2.  A  sort  of  sarcastic 
parody  of  the  appeal  of  Eliphaz  to  experience,  v.  27. — Verse  4.  Forgers 
of  lies,  botchers  of  vanities  ;  i.  e.,  manufacturers  of  falsehoods  and  clumsy 
patchers  of  them  into  useless  arguments.  The  figure  appears  to  be  that 
of  unskilfully  constructed  water-skins,  which  will  not  hold  water.  Physi- 
cians, in  the  accepted  version,  is  a  secondary  meaning  of  the  word  botch- 
ers, deduced  from  the  idea  of  mending. — Verse  14.  Two  figures ;  that 
of  a  lion,  attempting  to  escape  with  his  prey  in  his  teeth ;  and  that 
of  a  soldier,  cutting  his  way  out  when  surrounded.  The  thought  is 
that  no  such  desperate  attempt  would  succeed :  hence  Job  will  not 
try  to  escape,  nor  (verse  15),  since  death  is  inevitable,  will  he  be 
silent. — Verse  15.  Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  Him.  An 
ancient  but  erroneous  reading,  found  in  some  MSS.,  and  now  general- 
ly rejected,  being  traced  by  scholars  to  a  clerical  error.  The  true  sense 
(harmonious  also  with  the  context)  is.  He  will  slay  me ;  I  may  not 
hope. — Verse  1*7.  This  repeated  demand  for  attention  indicates  that 
the  listeners  are  impatient. — Verses  20,  21.  He  stipulates  that  his 
disease  shall  not  physically  incapacitate  him,  and  that  the  terrible  glory 
of  God  shall  not  appear,  to  confound  him. 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Verse  1.  Of  woman  born.  Probably  only  a  synonym  for  mortal,  yet 
possibly  a  hint  of  the  feebleness  and  imperfection  ascribed  by  the  an- 
cients to  woman.  Eve  was  first  tempted.  Minerva  the  wise  was  fabled 
not  to  have  been  born  of  woman.  In  the  light  of  these  and  many  other 
proofs  of  the  lower  place  accorded  to  woman  in  ancient  times,  Christ's 
birth,  honoring  and  exalting  womanhood,  appears  as  the  fit  commence- 
ment of  the  new  era,  in  which  woman  by  the  genius  of  Christianity  has 


TEE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  167 

been  raised  more  and  more  to  her  true  position. — Verse  2.  AJlowcr. 
Any  flower.  The  shadow.  The  shadow  indicating  the  waning  day. — 
Verse  6.  As  a  hirelinff  ;  i.  e.,  at  least  as  much  as  a  hireling. — Verses  'T- 
IS. A  beautiful  contrast  between  the  apparent  destruction  of  a  tree, 
which  may  nevertheless  grow  again,  and  the  death  of  man,  which  is  com- 
pared to  the  drying-up  of  water.  The  ignorance  of  the  ancients  as  to  the 
real  condition  of  water  thus  lost  to  sight  gives  force  ta  the  passage. — 
Verse  12.  The  heavens  are  here  named,  as  in  Ps.  Ixsxix.  29,  37,  as  a 
symbol  of  eternal  duration,  not  as  in  Is.  li.  6,  doomed  to  perish.  Hence 
the  sense  is  that  man  will  never  return  to  this  life.  A  continued  exist- 
ence of  some  sort  in  the  land  of  shadows  is  not  denied. — Verses  13-18. 
A  parenthetical  digression,  the  sense  of  which  is  sufficiently  explained  in 
the  paraphrase.  The  question  in  verse  14  is  an  interjection,  rhetorically 
conveying  a  negative. — Verse  17.  Sealed  up  in  a  bag  ;  i.  e.,  filed  away 
safely,  Y\ke  the  record  of  a  trial  and  conviction,  beyond  alteration. — 
Verse  18.  The  comparison  beginning  verse  7  is  resumed,  and  the  moun- 
tain offered  as  a  second  contrast  to  the  tree.  The  carving-out  of  canons 
is  compared  to  the  human  face  furrowed  by  grief  (verse  20,  Thou  changest 
his  countenance),  and  the  removal  of  earth  and  debris  by  floods  to  the 
removal  of  man,  or  masses  of  men,  by  death. — Verse  22.  Man's  suf- 
ferings here  cannot  be  made  good  to  him  by  the  fortunes  of  his  descend- 
ants. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

In  xii.  11,  xiii.  6,  13,  17,  etc.,  Job  has  repressed  the  interruptions  of 
his  friends,  until  they  finally  hsten  in  silence  to  his  impassioned  speech. 
Eliphaz,  being  the  oldest,  is  specially  offended,  and  replies  with  a  ludi- 
crous mixture  of  zeal  for  God  and  anger  on  his  own  account. — Verse  5. 
The  tongue  of  the  crafty.  He  regards  Job  as  charging  sin  upon  his 
friends,  as  a  thief  cries  "stop  thief!  " — Verse  10.  An  allusion  to  him- 
self.— ^Verse  18.  What  the  wise  have  not  hidden.  Compare  verse  8,  where 
Job  is  ironically  asked  if  he  has  kept  his  wonderful  knowledge  to  him- 
self for  so  long  a  time. — Verse  19.  An  allusion  to  some  conquest  of  the 
land,  or  perhaps  to  Job  himself  as  of  a  different  race  from  Eliphaz,  and 
one  of  more  recent  residence  in  Uz. — Verse  20.  The  argument  here 
is  that,  though  the  wicked  outwardly  prosper,  he  is  always  in  peril 
and  fear.  The  implication  is  conveyed  that  Job's  prosperity  was  of 
this  kind,  and  the  allusion  to  just  such  calamities  as  have  overtaken 
him  carries  an  indirect  charge  of  tyranny  (verse  27)  and  bribery  (verse 
34)  against  him. 


168  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Verse  3.  The  question  is  the  characteristic  Hebrew  form  of  stating  a 
negative.  The  sense  is,  There  is  no  end  to  ivords  of  wind ;  else  what 
could  move  thee  again  to  ansiver  ?  The  mysterious  endlessness  of  wind  is 
compared  to  the  ceaseless  babble  of  those  who  love  to  hear  themselves 
talk. — Verse  8.  The  climax  of  all  the  suffering  is  that  the  suffering  itself 
becomes  a  witness,  that  is,  is  construed  as  proof  of  guilt. — Verses  9,  10. 
A  bold  figure.  God  is  represented  as  a  lion,  pursuing  and  rending  his 
prey,  and  human  critics  as  meaner  beasts,  crowding  about  the  disabled 
victim  with  cowardly  insult.— Verses  12,  13.  A  new  figure,  that  of  a 
wounded  prisoner  bound  to  the  stake  as  a  target. — Verse  14.  Probably  an 
allusion  to  battering  rams. — Verse  15.  Horn,  the  sign  of  male  strength 
and  pride  among  beasts.  Hence,  doubtless,  its  use  as  an  adornment  of 
the  head  or  helmet,  both  in  ancient  and  in  modern  times.  Many  gods 
were  sometimes  represented  with  horns.  Alexander  the  Great  is  por- 
trayed with  horns,  on  coins.  The  legendary  horns  of  Moses  (shown  for 
instance  in  Michael  Angelo's  famous  statue)  are  traced  to  a  mistranslation 
by  Aquila  and  the  Vulgate  of  Ex.  xxxiv.  29,  30,  35.  Grotius,  who  ac- 
cepts this  error,  suggests  that  the  horns  were  to  remind  the  Israelites 
of  the  golden  calf! — Verse  18.  The  sense,  to  the  end  of  the  chapter,  ap- 
pears to  be  :  Earth,  perpetuate  my  complaint !  My  only  witness  is  in  heaven, 
inaccessible.  Those  who  are  at  hand,  my  friends,  only  mock  me.  This  is 
my  cry  {xchich  J  call  upon  Earth  to  echo  forever)  ;  that  God  would  render 
me  equal  justice  as  man  to  man  ;  and  this  is  the  reason  of  my  appeal  to 
Earth  to  perpetuate  my  complaifit,  that  J  shall  soon  pass  away,  and  he  un- 
able to  repeat  it  in  person. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

There  is  no  division  here  in  the  sense.  The  thought  is  continued. — 
Verses  1,  2.  /  am  doomed  to  die  ;  and  my  portion  is  with  the  dead  already  ; 
yet  I  must  be  tortured  with  mockeries  and  forced  to  pay  attention  to  them. 
— Verse  3.  Job  appeals  to  God  against  Himself,  as  one  might  call  even 
upon  an  enemy  to  bear  witness  to  one's  honor,  at  least.  This,  and  other 
passages  like  it,  seem  to  be  best  explained  by  the  view  elsewhere  dis- 
cussed, that  Job  regards  God  as  angry  with  him,  and  desperately  en- 
deavors to  break  through  the  barrier  of  that  passion,  in  order  to  reach 
the  just,  omniscient  Being,  who,  once  recalled  to  a  candid  consideration 
of  the  case,  would  acknowledge  the  innocence  of  His  servant,  and  regret 
His  own  wrath. — Verse  4.   Therefore  thou  wilt  not  exalt.     Ewald's  trans- 


THE  BOOK   OF  JOB.  169 

latioD,  Therefore  there  is  no  betterment,  1.  c,  no  hope  of  rescue  from 
them,  seems  preferable,  in  view  of  the  preceding  and  following  context. 
— Verse  5.  The  etjcs  of  his  children  shall  fad.  A  parenthesis,  height- 
ening the  force  of  the  description  of  treason  just  given.  The  sense, 
according  to  this  view,  would  be:  There  is  no  hope  for  me  from  these 
stupid  and  false  people,  who  would  betray  a  friend  into  captivity,  and 
leave  his  helpless  children  to  starve.  It  is  not  necessary  to  believe  that 
in  this  poetic  invective  actual  allusion  is  made,  as  some  suppose,  to 
young  children  of  Job,  still  remaining  alive.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
translation  of  Conant,  though  a  great  improvement  upon  the  accepted 
version,  still  agrees  with  the  latter  in  rendering  verse  5  as  an  interjected 
aphorism,  denouncing  a  curse  upon  such  treason  ;  and  this  view  appears 
to  break  unnecessarily  the  continuity  of  the  thought. — Verse  6.  The 
peoples ;  i.  e.,  the  tribes.  A  retort  on  Eliphaz,  who  has  boasted  (xv. 
18,  19)  of  his  ancient  race. — Verse  12.  K/ght  is  joined  to-day;  ligM 
is  just  before  darkness.  The  sense  is  that  the  last  hour  of  Job's  day  is 
at  hand. 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Verse  3.  Bildad  takes  offense  at  the  figure  of  the  jackals  (xvi.  10). 
— Verses  12, 13.  A  terrible  picture  of  a  lost  and  starving  wanderer.  He 
divours  the  parts  of  his  skin  ;  i.  e.,  is  reduced  by  hunger  to  tear  his  own 
flesh.  Compare  Is.  ix.  19. — Verse  15.  Compare  Gen.  xix.  24,  Ts.  xi.  6. — 
Verse  20,  they  that  come  after  are  the  dwellers  in  the  west,  as  they  that 
go  before  are  those  in  the  east.  If  taken  as  referring  to  time,  the  latter 
half  of  the  verse  would  be  incomprehensible. 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

Verse  20.  With  the  skin  of  my  teeth.  En'ald  thinks  this  an  allusion 
to  the  fact  that  the  Elephantiasis  attacks  tongue  and  mouth  last,  thus 
making  speech  impossible.  By  the  skin  of  the  teeth  he  understands 
the  gums.  But  the  phrase  is  more  probably  proverbial,  and  de- 
scribes, not  a  "  narrow  escape,"  but  a  complete  loss ;  the  point  being 
that  the  teeth  have  no  skin,  so  that  the  skin  of  the  teeth  stands  for 
nothing  at  all. — Verse  22.  This  appeal  to  the  friends  is  the  climax 
of  Job's  passionate  outcry.  It  appears  to  be  received  in  silence  by 
them. — Verse  23.  Oh  that  they  were  written  in  the  book!  Inputting 
these  words  into  the  mouth  of  Job,  the  author  was  actually  writing 
them  in  a  book.  This  is  perhaps  the  most  ancient  instance  of  a  liter- 
8 


170  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

ary  device  common  to  this  day  in  romances  and  dramas.  Thus,  in 
many  plays,  an  actor  on  the  stage  remarks,  *'  This  is  as  good  as  sn 
play ! "  or,  "  If  this  were  acted  in  a  play,  people  would  say  it  was 
improbable!"  and  the  like.  Good  examples  may  be  found  in  Shakes- 
peare's "Twelfth  Night "  and  " Julius  Cffisar."— Verses  25-27.  Bull, 
I  know  mt/  redeemer  lives,  and  in  after-time  will  stand  upon  the  earth 
(i.  e.,  upon  my  grave) ;  and  after  this  my  skin  (i.  c.,  this  skin  or  body 
of  mine)  is  destroyed,  and  loithout  my  flesh,  shall  I  see  God.  Whom  I 
for  myself,  shall  see,  and  my  eyes  hehold,  and  not  another,  when  my  reins 
are  coiisumed  within  me.  Mr.  Froude  argues  from  the  word  here  trans- 
lated redeemer,  which  may  mean  deUverer  or  avenger,  that  the  refer- 
ence is  to  a  vindicating  and  avenging  human  successor,  probably  a 
kinsman.  The  latest  and  best  interpreters  reject  this  view,  and  re- 
gard the  language  of  the  passage  as  referring  undoubtedly  to  an  ex- 
istence beyond  the  grave.  Without  my  fcsh  is  generally  admitted  to 
be  the  better  translation  of  the  phrase  rendered  in  my  fcsh  in  the 
common  version.  The  literal  meaning  of  the  original  is  from  my 
flesh,  the  ambiguity  of  which  is  analogous  to  that  of  the  English  sen- 
tence, "  Out  of  the  house,  I  saw,"  etc.  (Here  the  person  seeing  might 
be  in  the  house,  though  the  strict  construction  of  the  words  probably 
involves  the  opposite  idea.)  The  text  before  us  is  therefore  not  to 
be  understood  as  declaring  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  but  the  con- 
trary. The  poetic  figure  boldly  represents  the  Divine  Avenger  as  stand- 
ing upon  the  earth  which  holds  the  decayed  remains  of  Job,  and 
Job  as  personally  conscious  of  his  presence,  though  disembodied.  This 
passage,  both  in  its  signification  as  an  isolated  "  proof-text "  and  in  its 
relations  to  the  plan  and  progress  of  the  drama,  has  been  much  dis- 
cussed, and,  as  it  seems  to  me,  often  misconstrued.  Ewald  finds  in 
it  the  turning-point  of  the  struggles  of  Job's  mind,  and  'professes  to 
trace  in  the  subsequent  dialogue  the  victorious  peace  which  this  as- 
sured glimpse  of  immortality  and  recompense  has  imparted  to  the  suf- 
ferer. Other  commentators  frequently  refer  to  it  as  a  sort  of  trumpet- 
note  of  triumph,  sounded  over  all  the  conflict  with  doubt  and  de- 
spair. It  is  often  cited  ns  the  first  annunciation  of  life  beyond  death, 
and  in  a  similar  sense  has  been  indissolubly  associated  with  Christian 
sentiment  and  music.  But  an  impartial  consideration  of  the  passage 
itself  and  of  the  context  seems  to  discredit  this  interpretation ;  which 
is,  moreover,  open  to  the  objection  (not  removed  by  the  ingenuity  of 
Ewald)  that  it  involves  a  violation  of  the  unity  and  progress  of  the 
drama,  and  is  not  consistent  with  the   argument  of  the  author.      To 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  171 

consider  first  this  latter  objection,  the  notion  of  some  sort  of  con- 
tinued existence  after  death  is  recognized  in  earlier  passages  of  this 
book,  and  in  other  books  of  Scripture  of  earlier  authorship.  The  Ile- 
brew  conception  of  Shcol  corresponded  with  the  New  Testament  Hades, 
except  that  it  was  less  defined.  That  the  shades  of  the  dead  were  be- 
lieved to  continue  an  individual  existence,  the  story  of  the  witch  of  Endor 
shows.  Job's  allusion  to  it  in  this  passage  does  not  produce  any  effect 
upon  his  friends.  Zophar  makes  no  allusion  to  it  in  his  immediate  reply, 
nor  does  the  Almighty,  in  summing  up  the  debate,  mention  it.  It  is  ap- 
parently rather  a  reference  to  a  well-known  and  common  belief  than  the 
sudden  declaration  of  a  new  truth.  To  say  that  it  is  the  turnhig-point 
either  of  Job's  inward  or  of  his  outward  conflict,  sqems  to  be  assuming 
too  much,  since  both  conflicts  go  on  unaffected  by  it.  But  this  is  really 
required  by  the  logic  of  the  case.  Job  complains  of  present  injustice  at 
the  hands  of  an  Almighty  sovereign.  Now,  to  this  complaint  the  doctrine 
of  future  recompense  brings  neither  adequate  reply  nor  complete  consola- 
tion. Injustice  made  good  by  subsequent  compensation  is  not  justice, 
but  a  device  of  human  infirmity  to  repair  the  consequences  of  its  own 
mistakes.  A  Being  of  infinite  resources  could  not  justly  make  a  forced 
loan,  even  under  promise  of  future  repayment.  As  Hengstenberg  says, 
a  God  who  has  aught  to  set  right  in  his  government  is  no  God.  If  we 
may  correctly  assume,  then,  that  Job,  in  this  passage,  is  not  advancing  a 
new  doctrine  as  the  solution  of  the  mystery  of  Providence,  but  making 
use  of  an  acknowledged  belief,  what  is  the  meaning  of  the  allusion  ?  The 
question  is  certainly  not  without  difficulty ;  but  a  consideration  of  the 
context  and  the  argument  throws  some  light  upon  it.  Let  it  be  remem- 
bered that  Job's  theory  of  his  affliction  is  that  God  is  inexplicably  angry 
with  him.  Repeatedly  he  declares  that,  upon  calmer  reflection,  God, 
knowing  well  his  innocence,  will  regret  the  wrong  thus  inflicted,  and  will 
seek  to  repair  it,  but  too  late.  In  Chapter  xvi.,  he  calls  upon  the  earth 
to  perpetuate  his  protest,  since  human  friends  are  false,  and  God  with- 
draws Himself  from  present  appeal.  In  the  present  passage  the  same 
thought  recurs.  Job  wishes  that  his  words  were  preserved  to  vindicate 
his  character  before  men.  As  for  himself,  he  feels  sure  of  meeting  God 
face  to  face,  and  receiving  the  long-delayed  acknowledgment  of  his  inno- 
cence. But  it  is  his  eyes,  and  not  another's,  which  will  see  this  sight. 
It  will  be,  so  to  speak,  a  private,  not  a  public  acknowledgment.  Job  is 
not  thinking  of  it  as  a  complete  atonement  for  his  unparalleled  afflictions, 
but  rather  as  the  belated  confession  to  which  he  has  already  elsewhere 
made  allusion  (compare  vii.  8,  '22;  x.  1,  21 ;  xvi.  22).     He  has  (xiv.  13- 


1Y2  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

15)  expressed  parenthetically  a  yearning  desire,  admitted  in  the  same 
breath  to  be  vain,  that  God  would  recall  him  after  a  time  from  the  nether 
world,  as  a  prisoner  pardoned  and  restored.  Now  he  returns  to  a 
new  infliction  of  the  thought,  and  makes  it  the  occasion  of  renewing 
the  denunciation  of  xiii.  9-12.  The  connection  thus  established  be- 
tween the  27th  and  28th  vei-ses  of  the  xixth  chapter  seems  to  com- 
plete the  train  of  thought,  which  may  be  epitomized  thus :  0  tliat  my 
protest  of  innocence  could  be  recorded  for  my  vindication  before  my 
fellow-men !  This,  alas .'  appears  impossible.  So  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned, God  himself  will  visit  my  grave,  and  I,  though  long  dead,  shall 
rise  at  His  coming,  meet  him  face  to  face,  alone,  and  hear  Him  confess 
my  innocence.  Nothing  will  be  left  Him  then  but  to  he  my  avenger. 
Too  late  for  remedy,  it  will  not  be  too  late  for  vengeance.  Then  you, 
who  have  pursued  me  as  guilty,  will  find  your  u'rath  to  have  merited  His 
sword,  and  you  will  then  find  out  what  justice  is — you  who  prate  of  jus- 
tice to  me .'  This  construction,  while  it  may  be  startling  to  many  read- 
ers, is  entirely  consistent  with  the  previous  utterances  of  Job,  and 
with  the  course  of  the  argument.  It  explains  the  anger  of  Zophar, 
which  follows  this  bold  attack  just  as  the  anger  of  Eliphaz  (xv.  5,  6) 
followed  the  similar  attack  before  (xiii.  10,  11).  For  a  refutation  of  the 
ordinary  interpretations  of  the  passage,  see  Conant's  "Introduction"  and 
his  critical  and  exegetical  notes.  The  view  here  given  is,  however,  not 
Conant's,  and  is  suggested  with  deference.  It  is  not  fully  expressed  in 
the  paraphrase,  which  is  intended  rather  in  this  passage  to  reproduce  the 
literal  sense  of  the  original,  retaining  even  its  obscurity, — Verse  28.  The 
root  of  the  matter  ;  i.  c,  the  source  of  the  trouble. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Verse  7.  According  to  his  greatness,  so  shall  he  perish  forever.  The 
accepted  version  is  here  both  unworthy  and  unfortunate. — Verses  12-16. 
The  figure  is  of  a  sweet  morsel,  which,  being  swallowed,  proves  poison- 
ous, producing  first  vomiting,  then  death.  The  accepted  version  almost 
wholly  misses  the  fine  series  of  antithetic  denunciations  extending  to  verse 
21. — Verse  22.  Every  hand  of  the  icretched,  i.  e.,  of  his  victims,  reaching 
out  for  revenge. — Verse  23.  Magnificent  irony,  lost  in  the  accepted  ver- 
sion.— Verses  24-25.  A  vivid  figure  of  a  fugitive,  flying  from  combat  at 
close  quarters  and  pierced  at  a  distance  by  the  fatal  arrow. — Verse  26. 
There  is  in  the  original  a  play  upon  words,  which  cannot  be  translated. 
The  literal  statement  is :  All  darkness  is  hoarded  for  his  hoards  ;  i.  e., 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  173 

his  hidden  treasures  shall  prove  to  be  hidden  iudeed — mere  darkness,  in 
fact,  and  nothing  more. 

CILVrTER   XXI. 

Verse  2.  Ironical.  Suppoae  you  try  a  new  kind  of  "  consolation,^''  name- 
ly, to  sit  still,  and  let  me  talk  awhile  !  The  suggestion  has  not  lost  force 
by  the  lapse  of  centuries. — Verse  3.  The  change  from  the  plural  to  the 
singular  indicates  that  Mock  on  is  addressed  specially  to  Zophar,  the  last 
speaker. — Verse  9.  TIic  scorirffe  of  God  is  murrain  or  pestilence ;  in  this 
case,  as  the  context  shows,  the  former. — Verse  13.  In  a  moment ;  i.  e., 
not  like  me,  with  lingering  pain.  A  speedy  death  after  a  prosperous  life 
is  everywhere  Job's  ideal  of  good  fortune.  Disregard  of  this  obvious  fact 
has  led  to  some  ludicrous  misconceptions  of  his  meaning  in  this  and  simi- 
lar passages. — Verse  10.  Job  disclaims,  in  the  midst  of  his  description, 
any  sympathy  with  the  wicked  man's  view  of  life  and  God. — Verses  19- 
21.  The  accepted  version  here  misses  entirely  the  sense  of  one  of  the 
most  important  passages  in  the  book.  Will  God  treasure  up  iniquity  for 
his  sons?  On  Yim  let  him  requite  it,  that  he  may  knoiv  !  Let  his  eyes 
see  his  destruction,  etc.  The  declaration  is  that  punishment  of  the  next 
generation  is  not  an  adequate  or  just  retribution. — Verse  22.  Will  you 
try  to  teach  God  what  arc  the  facts  ?  He  knows  better.  He  knows  that 
these  arc  the  facts,  to  wit,  one  dies,  etc. — Verse  27.  The  devices  here  allud- 
ed to  are  the  indirect  suggestions  and  analogies  by  which  they  had  sought 
to  convict  Job  of  sin  not  only,  but  of  particular  sins,  feehng  about,  as  it 
were,  to  discover  which  was  his  weak  point.  Compare  viii.  6 ;  xi.  14; 
XV.  6,  2.5-35;  xx.  12,  19-28.  They  subsequently  carry  this  method 
still  further,  openly  charging  specified  crimes,  for  the  purpose  of  find- 
ing out,  perhaps,  from  Job's  answers,  what  is  his  precise  guilt. — Verse 
30.  The  wicked  is  kept  to  the  day  of  destruction.  So  Conant,  and  the 
accepted  version.  But  the  context  favors  another  reading,  viz.,  in 
tlie  day  of  destruction  (and  likewise,  in  [not  to'\  the  day  of  wrath) ;  the 
sense  being  that  the  wicked  are  notoriously  not  always  punished,  but 
rather  preserved  in  the  day  of  wrath.  The  plain  reference  to  xx.  28 
and  other  passages  is  destroyed  by  Conant's  view  that  this  is  an  allu- 
sion to  a  judgment  beyond  death.  The  present  speech  of  Job  is  full 
of  references  to  what  his  friends  have  been  saying,  and  must  be  read 
in  the  light  of  them. — Verses  32-33.  The  picture  of  a  stately  funeral. 
"  Light  lies  the  sod  above  him."  Ilis  success  draws  all  men  to  imitate 
his  career,  as  he  himself  has  imitated  the  example  of  countless  prede- 
cessora. 


1Y4  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Eliphaz  betakes  himself  to  his  last  resort,  open  accusation.  But  he 
begins  cautiously. — Verses  2-5.  God  is  not  projitcd  by  man's  virtue. 
Hence  lie  is  an  impartial  judge.  But  it  is  doubly  absurd  to  stij>pose  that 
He  would  actually  punish  piety  ;  therefore  it  must  be  sin  that  He  is  pun- 
ishing.— Verses  12-14.  These  three  verses  are  all  included  in  the  senti- 
ment ascribed  by  Eliphaz  to  Job. — Verse  16.  Perhaps  an  allusion  to  the 
Deluge. — Verses  17-18.  Such  as  say  to  God,  Begone .'  or  such  others, 
equally  wicked,  as  say  that  God  prospers  evil-doers.  The  last  claiise  of  the 
18th  verse  is  a  sarcastic  quotation  of  Job's  disclaimer  (xxi.  16). — Verse 
21.  With  him,  i.  e.,  with  me,  the  righteous  observer  and  counsellor. — 
Verse  24.  Not  a  command,  but  a  comparison.  Return  to  God  and  eschew 
evil ;  and  you  could  afford  tj  throw  away  gold  and  silver,  etc.  Job  is  al- 
ready imi)0verished,  and  is  not  exhorted  to  throw  away  what  he  has  not. 
The  allusion  to  the  gold  of  Ophir  shows  that  it  was  obtained  by  "  gulch- 
mining,"  as  distinguished  from  gold  which  needed  to  be  refined  (xxviii.  1), 
or  what  is  popularly  known  among  our  miners  as  "  quartz  gold,"  obtained 
by  mining  in  the  rocks.  The  alluvial  gold  appears  to  have  been,  as  is  the 
general  experience  now,  more  valuable,  that  is,  less  alloyed  with  silver, 
than  that  obtained  from  veins.  Hence  the  special  value  attached  to  the 
gold  from_the  brooks  of  Ophir.  In  our  own  country,  different  gold-mining 
districts  have  well-recognized,  distinct  reputations  for  fineness  (i.  e.,  puri- 
ty) of  product. — Verse  29.  When  they  are  cast  down  ;  i.  e.,  not  men,  but  thy 
ways.  The  sense  is  :  Light  will  shine  ujx>n  thy  ways,  and  when  they  are  cast 
down,  thou  shall  say.  There  is  ascent  again. — Verse  30.  The  accepted  ver- 
sion is  here  absurd.  Conant's  is  followed  in  the  paraphrase.  The  verse 
presents  an  exquisitely  subtile,  almost  humorous  s'ituation.  Eliphaz  holds 
out  to  Job,  as  a  crowning  happiness,  that  if  he  will  repent,  he  will  not  only 
experience  the  divine  favor,  but  be  able  to  rescue  sinners,  through  the 
power  of  his  own  innocence  and  consequent  influence  with  God.  If  you 
u'ill  be  very  good,  2lou  may  even  be  permitted  to  save  the  wicked,  as  we  are 
trying  to  do  now!  With  what  delicate  poetic  justice  the  drama  touches 
this  point  when  at  the  close  the  self-righteous  friends  are  told  (xlii.  8) :  Job 
my  servant  will  pray  for  you.  But  him  will  I  accept,  that  I  visit  not  the 
folly  upon  you  I 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 

Verse  1.  Even  in  this  utmost  trouble,  it  is  rated  sin  if  I  do  but  com- 
plain.'— ^Verses  8-9.  The  ancients  stood  facing  the  sunrise,  when  thej 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  175 

determined  the  points  of  the  compass.  Hence  forward,  backward,  left, 
and  right,  are  terms  for  east,  west,  north,  and  south. — Verse  14.  Many 
such  things  ;  i.  c,  manif  mijstcrious  fates. — Verses  15-17.  Therefore.  Job 
is  appalled  not  so  mjiich  by  his  own  suffering  as  by  the  speculations 
which  it  arouses. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Job  begins,  verse  2,  a  description  of  open  and  high-handed  oppression 
of  the  helpless,  whose  sufferings  arc  described  in  verses  5,  6.  In  the  field 
they  reap  his  fodder,  and  glean  the  vineyard  of  the  wicked;  i.  c.,  they  live 
on  the  gleanings  of  the  fields  which  they  formerly  owned,  but  of  which 
(verse  2)  they  have  been  robbed. — With  verse  9  begins  a  powerful  de- 
scription of  slavery  originating  in  debt. — Verse  13.  A  new  class  of  crim- 
inals is  now  described,  those  who  sin  in  secret. — Verse  18  begins  an  iron- 
ical passage,  as  if  Job  had  said,  Of  course  they  are  swept  away,  0  yes  ! — 
The  figure  in  verses  18,  19,  is  that  of  a  flood  which  does  not  fertilize,  but 
curses  and  wastes  the  earth  and  then  dries  up. — Verse  22.  Here  Job  re- 
turns with  sudden  contrast  to  his  own  description  of  the  real  fate  of  the 
wicked.  The  paraphrase  here  follows  Ewald,  whose  translation  appears 
to  be  the  best.  He  (i.  e.,  Ood)  maintains  the  strong  by  His  might ;  He  raises 
up  when  no  one  is  sure  of  life  (i.  e.,  He  rescues  them  from  threatened  death). 
— Verse  24.  A  picture  of  a  prosperous  life  and  a  quick  and  happy  death 
at  the  end.  Like  all ;  i.  e.,  in  accordance  with  the  common  lot  of  men 
they  are  gathered,  and  are  honored  in  the  harvest,  like  the  highest  stalks 
of  the  grain.  This  throws  back  upon  Eliphaz  the  picture  he  had  drawn 
(verse  20)  of  a  similar  fate  for  the  righteous. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Bildad's  reply  is  the  last  gasp  of  the  argument  on  that  side ;  and 
the  author  shows  this  fact  very  delicately  by  putting  into  the  mouth  of 
Bildad  mere  echoes  of  what  had  been  said  already — the  reiteration  of  one 
who  is  at  a  loss  for  fresh  reasons.  Compare  i.x.  2  ;  xv.  15. 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 

Verse  4.  By  whom  hast  thou,  etc.  A  sarcastic  allusion  to  Bildad's 
want  of  originality.  Compare  xx.  3,  where  Zophar  says  his  own  spirit 
has  been  roused  to  reply.  Job  now  taunts  Bildad,  Well,  what  sjnrit  do 
you  rely  on?     After  this  personal  introduction.  Job  begins  another  "  com- 


1Y6  TUB  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

petitive  poem,"  a  grand  description  of  tlie  power  of  God  in  the  three 
worlds,  ovcrtoi)pir)g  the  conception  of  Bildad,  which  comprised  the  starry 
heavens  only.  This  ei)isodical  poem  occupies  the  remainder  of  the  chap- 
ter.— Verse  5.  llic  shades  tremble  beneath  the  waters.  The  sea  cannot 
hide  from  (Jod  the  under-world. — Verse  11.  A  storm  raised  by  His  power. 
— Verses  12,  13.  The  calm  following.  The  translation  followed  by  the 
paraphrase  of  this  passage  is  based  on  Ewald's.  By  His  power  he  qncUs 
the  sea  ;  by  His  icisdom  he  smote  Rahab.  (See  note  on  iii.  8,  where  Kahab 
is  translated  "mourning"  in  the  common  version,  and  "leviathan"  by 
Conant).  By  His  spirit  are  the  heavens  adorned;  His  hand  slew  the  ser- 
pent. He  who  overcame  this  monster  (or  these  monsters,  if  two  arc 
meant),  and  bound  it  as  a  constellation  in  the  sky,  can  quell  the  storm 
He  has  raised  and  restore  to  beauty  the  heavens  He  controls. — Verse  14. 
Lo,  these  are  the  borders  of  His  ivays!  Better,  perhaps,  the  etid^i,  i.  c.,  the 
hither  ends  or  beginnings — as  of  paths  reaching  into  infinite  distance. 
And  what  a  whisper  of  a  word  is  that  we  hear  !  But  the  thunder  of  His 
power  who  can  comprehend ? 

CHArTER  XXVII. 

After  this  episode.  Job  takes  up  his  direct  discourse,  with  a  bold  re- 
assertion  of  his  own  integrity,  a  disclaimer  of  the  wicked  life  as  his  own 
ideal,  and  a  bitter  rehearsal  of  the  vain  dogmatic  theory  of  his  friends. 
— Verse  7.  Lei  my  enemy  be,  etc.  A  proverbial  phrase,  meaning,  I  coidd 
not  ivish  an  enemy  anything  leorse  than  to  be.  It  is  not  a  curse  upon  an 
actual  enemy. — Verse  9.  117//  God  hear  his  cry,  etc.  The  thought  ap- 
pears to  be  that,  when  the  wicked  man  is  really  in  distress  or  at  the 
point  of  death,  he  dares  not  call  upon  God  :  whereas  Job,  though  at  this 
time  inexplicably  shut  out  from  the  fiivor  of  God,  had  always  heretofore 
delighted  in  the  Almighty. — Verse  12.  Mlty  then  speak  ye  ivhat  is  utterly 
vain  ?  This  question  (less  literally  translated  in  the  common  version) 
seems  to  introduce  the  passage  occupying  the  rest  of  the  chapter,  which 
Eichhorn  regards,  I  think  correctly,  as  a  recapitulation  of  the  "  utterly 
vain  "  talk  alluded  to  by  Job.  The  passage  is  one  of  the  most  trouble- 
some to  commentators,  because  it  appears  to  be  a  retraction  on  the  part 
of  Job,  and  an  admission  of  the  truth  of  the  assertions  he  has  victorious- 
ly disputed.  There  are  three  views :  1.  According  to  Ewald  and  others^ 
Job  here  makes  concessions  which  the  previous  heat  of  the  argument 
caused  him  to  omit;  or  rather,  as  Conant  says,  "having  refuted  the  false 
positions  of  his  opponents,  he  now  takes  up  this  question  [whether,  after 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  177 

all,  the  way  of  transgression  is  wise],  showing  the  general  law  of  the 
divine  government."  But  this  view  is,  I  think,  open  to  several  objec- 
tions. The  passage  is  as  unqualified  in  its  terms  as  any  of  the  speeches 
of  the  friends.  Moreover,  it  consists  to  a  large  extent  of  repetitions  of 
the  very  figures  which  they  had  used.  Where  Job  speaks  for  himself  in 
this  drama,  he  does  not  usually  copy  the  imagery  of  the  other  speakers, 
but  almost  invariably  overtops  their  efforts  with  grander  ones.  Ori- 
ginality is  a  literary  characteristic,  as  distinctly  present  in  his  other 
speeches  as  it  is  distinctly  absent  from  this  one.  To  say  that  he  here  em- 
ploys the  previous  language  of  his  antagonists,  but  docs  not  mean  it  in- 
the  same  sense,  is  to  adopt  a  means  of  escape  from  difficulty  which  the 
text  does  not  suggest,  and  which  would  only  be  tolerable  if  it  were  the 
only  resort.  Finally,  such  a  turn  in  the  discussion  as  this  view  implies 
is,  I  think,  foreign  to  the  spirit  of  the  book,  and  inconsistent  with  the 
steadfast  attitude  ascribed  to  Job  throughout.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  the  book  is  more  didactic  than  dramatic.  The  personages  arc  rather 
types  than  portraits.  They  represent  different  views  of  the  problem 
under  discussion ;  and  they  do  not  change  their  minds ;  nor  does  any 
one  of  them  represent  the  author's  own  view,  as  I  have  elsewhere  shown. 
Ilence  it  is  not  necessary  or  appropriate  to  assume  that  Job  drops  the 
line  of  argument  which  he  has  followed  intensely  from  the  outset,  and  to 
which  he  afterward  returns,  in  order  to  "  take  a  wider  view."  2.  Kenni- 
cott  thinks  this  passage  to  be  the  missing  speech  of  Zophar,  whose  turn 
it  should  now  be  to  speak  for  the  third  time,  as  the  others  have  done. 
He  thinks  it  has  been  inadvertently  attached  to  the  preceding  words  of 
Job  by  an  error  of  copying.  To  this  hypothesis  the  critical  objections 
are  less  conclusive ;  but  it  lacks  positive  support,  either  in  the  various 
versions  of  the  original,  or  in  the  structure  of  the  drama.  After  the 
feeble  reply  of  Bildad  (Chap,  xxv.),  it  is  ([uite  appropriate  that  Zophar 
should  say  nothing;  and  this,  I  think,  is  indeed  implied  in  xxxii.  1.  The 
artificial  symmetry  of  the  debate  (Job,  Eliphaz— Job,  Bildad — Job, 
Zophar — and  so  on,  three  times  round)  nuist  not  be  pushed  too  far,  in 
the  face  of  such  objections  as,  for  exani])le,  the  style  of  xxviii.  1,  which 
is,  as  will  be  shown,  an  appropriate  citisode,  but  lacks  both  the  title  and 
the  introduction  which  elsewhere  invariably  mark  the  commencement  of 
a  new  speech.  According  to  Kennicott,  this  must  be  the  beginning  of 
Job's  "summing-up."  According  to  the  internal  evidence,  I  think  it 
cannot  be  so.  If  (for  reasons  elsewhere  given)  we  omit  the  speech  of 
Elihu,  as  an  interpolation,  the  argument  for  the  symmetry  of  the  debate 
is  turned  with  startling  force  against  Kcnnicott's  view ;  for  we  now  have 


17S  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

(xxxli.  1)  the  tlircc  men  "  ceasing  from  answering  Job,"  and  immediately 
(xxxviii.  1),  Thai  Jehovah  answered  Job!  That  is,  the  Ahnighty  ap- 
jjears,  in  place  of  the  silenced  Zophar.  3.  The  view  of  Eichborn  and 
others,  which  I  have  adopted,  and  venture  to  support  with  some  addi- 
tional arguments,  is  that  Job,  in  the  passage  xxvii.  13-23  inclusive, 
rehearses  the  assertions  of  his  opponents  as  specifications  under  his  gen- 
eral charge  of  utter  vanity  (verse  12).  In  favor  of  this  view,  several  lines 
of  proof  concur.  Sarcastic  quotations  of  this  kind  are  common  in  the 
book.  The  dialogue,  in  its  later  parts,  fairly  echoes  with  cross-references 
among  the  debaters.  Phrases  are  hurled  to  and  fro,  and  more  or  less 
colored  and  distorted  versions  of  previous  utterances  are  employed  by 
succeeding  antagonists.  See,  for  example,  xxi.  1*7,  18;  xxi.  28;  xxii. 
12-14;  xxiv.  18-21;  as  well  as  other  passages  already  mentioned  in 
these  notes,  and  many  which  I  have  not  paused  to  point  out.  Again, 
many  of  the  figures  of  this  passage  are  intentional  repetitions.  Compare 
verse  13  with  xx.  29;  verse  14  with  v.  4,  xviii.  19,  etc.;  verse  17  with 
XX.  10,  22,  etc. ;  verse  18  with  iv.  19  ;  verse  20  with  xxii.  16,  etc. ;  verse 
21  with  XV.  30,  etc. ;  verse  22  with  xx.  24  ;  verse  23  with  xxii.  19,  20, 
etc.,  etc.  Finally,  the  passage,  attributed  in  this  sense  to  Job,  forms  a 
natural  transition  introducing  the  beautiful  episode  on  wisdom,  Chap, 
xxviii.  According  to  this  view,  the  course  of  the  thought,  after  the  com- 
petitive poem  which  closes  Chap,  xxvi.,  would  be  as  follows :  Job  vehe- 
mently declares  with  an  oath  that  he  will  not  deny  his  integrity ;  he  pro- 
ceeds to  repudiate  the  inference  that  he  deems  Avickedness  as  good  as 
righteousness,  because  he  has  asserted  that  wickedness  is  often  pros- 
pered ;  he  declares  that,  when  the  wicked  are  afflicted,  they  have  no 
thought  of  God  or  comfort  in  Ilini ;  and  with  these  preliminaries  he  re- 
turns to  the  attack,  on  precisely  his  old  ground,  and  cites  as  utterly 
vain,  and  contradicted  by  acknowledged  facts,  the  fine  phrases  of  his 
opponents  about  temporal  retribution.  But,  if  their  solution  of  the  prob- 
lem is  pa!|)al)lc  folly,  what  is  wisdom  ?  Thus  he  is  led  to  the  episode 
of  Cha])tor  xxviii.,  after  wliich  he  returns  to  the  consideration  of  his  own 
individual  case.  That  a  man  should  be  represented  as  pausing,  in  the 
midst  of  the  j)assion  of  heated  discussion  and  the  passion  of  personal 
anguish,  to  recite  such  calm,  speculative,  and  poetical  passages  as  are 
often  put  into  the  mouth  of  Job,  is  chiefly,  no  doulit,  due  to  the  nature 
and  purpose  of  the  composition.  Dramatic  literature  is  full  of  instances. 
Shakespeare  usually  manages  to  make  such  passages  as  the  soliloquy  of 
Hamlet  or  Portia's  description  of  mercy  rise  naturally  out  of  the  dra- 
matic situation.     Other  tragic  authors  are  often  less  happy.     In  the  Book 


THE  BOOK   OF  JOB.  179 

of  Job,  we  may  perhaps  be  justified  in  fancying  a  conneotion  between 
the  changes  of  topic  and  style  in  Job's  speeches,  and  the  recurring 
paroxysms  of  physical  suffering  which  arc  imagined  as  calling  back  his 
thoughts  from  sublime  generalizations  to  the  special  circumstances  of  his 
own  case.  Carried  away  by  the  reflections  of  Chap,  xxviii.,  he  "  takes 
up  his  discourse  again  "  (xxix.  1),  in  the  tone  of  personal  lament  and 
protest. — Verses  14,  15.  War,  famine,  and  pestilence,  three  companions 
then  as  now.  His  widows  shall  not  bewail ;  i.  e..  He  shall  leave  no  widows 
to  mourn  him,  all  his  house  being  destroyed.  The  meaning  is  not  that 
his  widows  shall  be  glad  he  is  gone. — Verse  16.  As  tlic  dust  .  .  .  as  (he 
clay  ;  i.  c.,  as  common  and  abundant  as  these  things. — Verse  19.  Shall 
lie  down  and  shall  not  be  gathered  ;  he  opejis  his  eyes  and  he  is  gone.  The 
curse  lies  in  the  unexpectedness  and  loneliness,  not  the  quickness,  of  the 
death.     He  shall  die  in  sudden  terror,  ivithout  friendly  attendance. 

CHAPTER  XXVIIL 

See  notes  on  preceding  chapters.  The  argument  is :  Why  do  yc 
attempt  vainly  to  mark  out  the  ways  of  God  with  men  ?  Wisdom — i.  c., 
the  true  theory  of  life  and  providence — cannot  be  thus  ascertained — dug 
up,  as  it  were,  like  ore.  No  amount  of  searching  will  give  the  explana- 
tion of  life's  mystery ;  and  man's  wisdom  in  the  presence  of  the  inscruta- 
ble facts  is  the  resignation  of  faith  (not  of  fatalism)  and  righteousness — 
the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  the  departure  from  evil. — Verses  1-11  inclusive. 
A  fine  description  of  ancient  mining,  of  which  verses  1-9  apparently 
refer  to  deep  mining,  and  the  ren)ainder  to  surface  mining  with  the  aid 
of  floods — a  rude  hydraulic  mining  system.  We  know  that  both  were 
employed  by  the  ancients.  The  meaning  of  this  passage  is  hopelessly 
buried  in  the  mistranslations  of  the  common  version.  Conant's  render- 
ing is  excellent,  l)ut  the  full  meaning  can  only  be  brought  out  in  a  para- 
phrase. This  I  have  attempted  (following  Ewald  in  one  or  two  minor 
points)  with  the  more  confidence,  since  my  own  profession  as  a  mining 
engineer  enables  me,  for  this  one  occasion,  to  look  upon  my  learned 
guides  as  laymen  ! — Verse  1.  Gold  which  they  refine  is  the  "  quartz  gold  " 
of  our  American  miners,  which  is  often  associated  with  pyrites,  etc.,  and 
is  retorted  and  refined  by  various  operations,  before  be<'oming  fit  for  use. 
The  gold  of  Ophir  (xxii.  24,  xxviii.  16)  seems  to  have  been  "placer"  or 
*' gulch-goid,"  which  is  often  very  pure.  Even  the  refining  of  the  an- 
cients would  probably  leave  the  gold  alloyed  with  silver ;  but  it  is  well 
known  that  some  diluvial  deposits  (though  not  all)  furnish  gold  of  ajj- 


180  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

proximate  purity.  The  color  of  such  gold  would  show  its  supcrioi ity  ; 
and  hcuee,  perhaps,  the  special  excclk'iice  attributed  to  the  gold  of  Ophir. 
The  statement  here  is  that  native  silver,  inferior  gold,  and  iron  and  cop- 
per ores  occur  in  veins  underground. — Verse  4.  Forgotten  of  the  foot, 
they  swing  suspended  far  below.  A  vivid  description  (of  which  it  is  use- 
less to  seek  any  trace  in  the  common  version)  of  the  miners  banging  by 
ropes  in  a  shaft,  unknown  to  those  who  walk  above  them  on  the  surface. 
— Verses  5,  6.  A  comparison  between  the  peaceful  grain-fields  above 
and  the  strange  fields  and  methods  of  labor  below. — Verses  9-11.  Rocks 
and  blutfs  are  removed,  streams  arc  turned  from  their  courses,  and  pre- 
cious things  are  sought  in  their  beds— as  in  our  present  surface,  bar,  and 
gulch  mining  for  gold. — Verses  16,  17.  Manufactured  jewelry  is  here 
meant,  as  more  costly  than  mere  gold  or  silver  unwrought  (verse  15). 

CHAPTER   XXIX. 

See  notes  on  Chapter  xxvii. — ^Verse  Y.  Job's  house,  or  settlement 
(compare  i.  4,  etc.),  was  apparently  near  a  city,  where  he  was  known  and 
honored. — Verse  14.  /  put  on  righteousness,  and  it  clothed  itself  with  me 
— not,  it  clothed  me.  The  thought  is,  I  put  it  on  and  it  pntt  me  on  ;  i.  e., 
I  was  righteous  outwardly  and  inwardly. — Verse  18.  As  the  phoenix  shall 
I  muUiply  days.  This  translation  (Ewald's)  is  better  than  sanrf.  Com- 
pare the  first  half  of  the  verse.  The  legend  of  the  phcenix  is  of  Eastern 
origin.  In  one  form  of  it,  the  bird  builds  his  own  funeral  pyre  and  dies 
in  his  nest,  to  rise  again  from  his  own  ashes.  But  this  form  may  have 
been  later.  All  the  legends  seem  to  have  in  common  the  idea  of  great 
longevity  and  some  mysterious  power  of  prolonging  or  renewing  life.  It 
is  of  course  not  necessary  to  suppose  that  Job  here  alludes  to  the  phoe- 
nix, as  did  the  early  Christian  fathers,  as  a  type  of  the  resurrection.  In 
fact,  it  must  be  confessed,  the  conjecture  of  Ewald,  though  both  in- 
genious and  probable,  is  not  very  well  supported  philologically.  It 
has  the  Talmud  and  rabbinical  writers  to  back  it;  but  the  cautious 
Cunant  calls  it  a  "  foolish  conceit."  If  the  rendering  sand  is  retained, 
the  general  meaning  is  not  changed,  but  a  commonplace  mixed  figure 
is  substituted  for  a  striking  and  consistent  one.  Hence  1  have  followed 
Ewald. — Vci-se  23.  The  latter  rain  is  tlie  spring  rain,  and  the  most  im- 
portant to  the  growing  crops.  Compare  Deut.  xi.  14;  Prov.  xvi.  15; 
Jer.  iii.  3,  v.  24  ;  Hos.  vi.  3  ;  Zech.  x.  1,  etc. — Verse  24.  7'hey  could 
not  believe  it  for  joy  when  I  smiled ^  nor  would  they  do  anything  to  forfeit 
mi)  favor. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  181 


CUAPTER  XXX. 

The  opening  description  indicates  a  race  of  slaves,  dilTorcnt  from  any 
classes  heretofore  described,  unless  they  be  those  of  xxiv.  4. — Verse  4. 
Tlie  salt-plant  j^rows  among  shrubs  or  in  hedges.  It  has  juicy  leaves 
and  buds  of  saltish  taste.  The  broom-root  is  very  bitter,  and  would  not 
be  used  for  food,  except  in  dire  necessity. — Verse  8.  The  foolish  are 
usually  the  heathen  (compare  ii.  In).  These  degraded  beings  are  prob- 
ably descendants  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants. — Verse  11.  Because  He 
has  let  loose  His  rein  ....  thett  also  cad  off  the  bridle  ;  i.  e.,  they  charge 
upon  me,  because  they  see  that  God  has  done  the  same. — Verse  12.  On  t/ic 
right,  the  position  of  the  accuser.  This  "  brood  "  of  assailants  appears 
to  consist  of  the  personified  sorrows  and  aflSictions  of  Job,  rather  than 
of  a  new  class  of  human  enemies. — Verses  IC,  1*7.  The  day  and  night 
syn)ptoms  of  his  disease. — Verse  18.  J/'/  covering  ;  i.  c  ,  tny  skin. 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 

Job  concludes  with  a  final,  solemn  asseveration  of  innocence,  speci- 
fying the  crimes  of  which  he  has  been  directly  or  indirectly  accused. 
— Verse  1.  I^or  (not  with)  my  eyes  ;  i.  c.,for  my  eyes  to  obey.  The  terms 
of  this  covenant  are  then  given:  ffoo  shozdd  I  look,  even,  upon  a  maid, 
since  God  sees  all  and  will  punish  tvickedness?  Job  gives  this  as  his 
former  belief,  and  challenges  God  on  this  basis  to  punish  him  if  he  has 
sinned.  In  the  enumeration  of  crimes  we  have,  first,  robberies  by  fraud 
and  treachery,  including  deceit  (verse  5),  stealing  (verse  7),  and  adultery 
considered  as  treachery  to  a  friend  (verse  9.  The  patriarchal  notions, 
in  which  the  proprietorship  of  the  husband  was  the  leading  idea,  inspire 
this  verse).  Tiicn  follow  wrongs  inflicted  by  a  master  upon  his  servants 
(verses  13-15  inclusive) ;  then  neglect  and  violence  toward  the  weak  (IG- 
23  inclusive);  then  idolatry,  of  gold  (24,  25),  and  of  the  sun  and  moon 
(26,  27);  revenge  (29,  30) ;  lack  of  hospitality  (31,  32);  concealment  of 
any  iniquity  (33) ;  and  finally,  cruelty  and  oppression  generally  (38). 
This  last  has  been  covered  by  the  foregoing  catalogue ;  but  Job  returns 
to  it,  as  the  charge  most  offensively  and  frequently  pressed  by  his  accu- 
sers. The  great  value,  to  the  student  of  the  history  of  human  culture, 
of  a  catalogue  like  this,  which  evidently  sums  up  the  cardinal  sins  of  the 
moral  code  of  the  time,  is  self-evident. — Averse  35.  0  that  I  had  one  who 
ivould  hear  me  !  Behold  my  sign  ;  let  the  Almighty  answer  me,  and  my 
adversary  write  a  charge.     A  challenge  in  legal  terms. 


182  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Six  cliaptcrs,  containing  the  speech  of  Elihu,  are  here  omitted.  Sec 
the  introductory  portions  of  this  volume,  and  the  notes  on  Chapter  xxvii. 
Jehovah  (not  Deity  merely)  answers  Job. — Verse  1.  Out  of  the  storm. 
This  seems  to  be  an  alkision  to  the  approaching  thunder-storm  described 
by  Elihu  (xxxvii.  1,  5),  and  thus  a  proof  of  the  genuineness  of  the  chap- 
ters I  have  omitted  from  the  Paraphrase.  But  if,  for  any  apparently 
good  reason,  the  speech  of  Elihu  be  regarded  as  a  pious  interpolation 
or  later  addition,  this  phrase  may  have  been  added  also,  to  connect 
the  two  portions  ;  or  the  description  of  the  thunder-storm  may  be  but 
an  amplification  of  the  hint  here  given.  The  main  point  is,  that  the 
Almighty  still  refuses  to  appear  in  person,  as  Job  has  demanded,  but 
speaks  through  the  veil,  so  to  speak,  of  a  great  natural  phenomenon. 
The  reverence  of  the  author  in  this  respect  is  in  sublime  contrast  to  the 
puerile  conceptions  of  later  and  middle-age  literature.  The  same  feature 
is  found  in  all  the  Scriptures.  God  speaks,  but  He  does  not  appear. — 
Verse  1.  The  morning  stars  ;  i.  e.,  the  angels,  called  in  the  next  line, 
which  merely  repeats  the  thought  in  alternative  phrase,  llie  sons  of  God. 
— Verse  13.  A  fine  figure  of  the  dawn,  shining  around  the  horizon,  as 
one  might  embrace  the  margin  of  a  gigantic  dish.  The  wicked  are 
scared  away  by  the  day  from  their  evil  courses. — Verse  14.  The  earth  is 
changed  as  if  a  new  stamp  had  been  pressed  upon  it,  and  the  hills  stand 
forth  as  in  gay  apparel. — Verse  15.  The  light  of  the  wicked  (i.  e.,  secret 
malefiictors)  is  darkness. — Verses  16,  17.  The'  gates  of  the  under- world 
are  conceived  to  be  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  Compare  xxvi.  5. — Verse 
19.  The  division  of  light  and  darkness  considered  a  mystery.  In  all  this 
catalogue  of  natural  phenomena,  given  to  convince  Job  how  little  he 
knows  about  the  laws  of  the  universe,  many  things  are  enumerated 
which  we  now  "  understand  ;  "  yet  with  all  our  science  we  have  only  put 
the  mystery  a  little  further  back. — Verse  21.  Not  a  question,  as  in  the 
common  version,  but  an  assertion  in  scornful  irony. — Averse  22.  ITail  and 
snow  are  ranked  a.'S  unusual  and  disastrous  occurrences,  as  is  natural  in 
a  warm  climate  and  a  pastoral  and  agricultural  region. — Verse  20.  The 
ministration  of  rain  to  uninhabited  wastes  is  emphasized  as  showing  that 
the  needs  and  prayers  of  men  are  not  the  only  occasion  of  God's  activity. 
— Verse  31.  See  note  on  ix.  9. — Verse  33.  An  indication  of  the  ancient 
belief  in  the  influence  of  the  stars  upon  earthly  aflairs. — Verse  36.  The 
words  here  commonly  translated  imcard  parts  and  heart  (according  to 
Conant,  reins  and  spirit)  are  more  probably,  as  Ewald,  corroborated  by 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  183 

the  context,  argues,  terms  referring  to  meteorological  phenomena.  The 
change  in  the  form  of  the  questions  may  be  significant.  From  verse  31 
to  verse  36,  it  is,  Dost  thoxi  control  the  seasons,  stars,  clouds,  rains  and 
Ughtnings?  In  verse  36  and  following  verses  it  is,  Who  inspires  and 
directs,  then,  the  atmospheric  wonders,  numbers  the  clouds,  and  pours  the 
rain  ?  Verse  39.  The  references  to  the  animal  kingdom  comprise  only 
wild  animals,  of  wliich  man  possessed  little  knowledge  or  control.  Con- 
cerning the  horse,  an  apparent  exception,  sec  notes  on  next  chapter. 

CnAPTER   XXXIX. 

The  breeding  of  wild  goats  and  deer  is  described,  in  implied  contrast 
with  the  care  given  by  man  to  the  breeding  of  domestic  animals  and  the 
raising  of  their  young. — Verses  3,  4.  They  cast  away  their  pains.  Their 
young  mature,  etc.  The  wild  animals,  though  untcnded  by  man,  have 
easy  birth-pains,  soon  forgot;  and  their  offspring  grow  up  and  go  off  on 
their  own  account — God  being  the  only  shepherd  who  cares  for  them,  yet 
His  care  being  sufficient  to  cBect  all  that  man  takes  so  much  trouble  to 
arrange  in  domestic  flocks. — Verse  5.  Compare  xxiv.  5 ;  Is.  xxxii.  14 ; 
Jer.  ii.  24;  Hos.  viii.  9;  Dan.  v.  21. — Verse  9.  The  wild  ox.  Probably 
a  species  of  ox  now  extinct,  but  formerly  inhabiting  parts  of  Asia  and 
Europe.  The  oriental  buffalo  is  known  to  have  been  domesticated  for 
many  centuries,  and  hence  does  not  answer  the  description  here  given. — 
Verses  13,  14.  The  wing  of  the  ostrich  waves  exulting  ;  with  piuus  p)inion 
and  plumage  ?  Nay,  she  abandons,  cfc.  The  question  is  merely  a  rhet- 
orical negative;  and  the  meaning  is  that  the  magnificent  plumage  of  the 
ostrich  is  not  piously  devoted  to  brooding  her  eggs.  The  stork,  which 
assiduously  cares  for  its  young,  is  called  pious.  Thus  in  Ps.  civ.  17, 
where  the  pious  is  properly  translated  the  stork.  Hirzel  suggests  that 
there  is  in  this  description  of  the  ostrich  an  allusion  (for  contrast)  to  the 
stork.  The  common  version  confesses  failure  in  translating  the  passage, 
by  desperately  adding  the  words  Gavest  thou?  to  make  sense.  But  this 
sense  is  not  the  true  one.  The  habits  of  the  ostrich,  not  its  wings,  are 
described  as  remarkable,  and  attributed  to  God's  ordainment. — Verse  19. 
Both  the  allusion  to  the  horse  (verse  18)  as  used  in  Imnting  the  ostrich 
and  this  description  of  the  war-horse  represent  this  animal,  not  as  famil- 
iarly known  and  used  for  domestic  purposes,  but  rather  as  an  object  of 
special  wonder  for  speed  and  spirit.  We  may  perhaps  fairly  infer  that 
the  author  conceives  ostrich-hunting  to  be  known  to  Job  by  hearsay,  and 
the  use  of  chariots  in  war  by  terrible  experience  of  their  elTects.     lie  is 


184:  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

nowhere  represented  as  owning  horses. — Verse  19.  With  terror,  not  thun- 
der. The  hteral  meaning  is  trembling,  and  the  reference  is  to  the  terrible 
shaking  of  a  heavy  mane. — Verse  21.  They  paw  in  the  valley,  etc.  The 
word  here  rendered  paw  is  held  by  Ewald  to  mean  hesitate,  spy  about,  re- 
connoitre ;  and  the  verse,  in  this  view,  gives  a  contrast  between  the  cau- 
tion of  ^n  army  in  the  valley  and  the  reckless  courage  of  the  war-horse, 
which  dashes  exultingly  down  among  them.  The  vivid  picture  of  a  char- 
iot-charge against  bowmen  and  spearmen  is  thus  heightened  in  effect. — 
Verse  24.  Swallows  the  ground  ;  i.  e.,  devours  distance  with  his  speed.  Be- 
lieves not,  etc.  An  expression  of  the  joy  with  which  he  hears  the  trumpets 
sounding  the  onset.  A  similiar  phrase  occurs  in  xxix.  24. — Verse  25. 
Shoutings.  Battle-songs  and  war-cries  are  included. — Verse  26.  Some 
hawks,  it  is  said,  are  birds  of  passage. — Verses  27-30  inclusive.  The 
eagle  does  not  eat  carrion,  and  hence  this  description  has  been  supposed 
to  refer  to  the  vulture.  But  the  slain  (verse  30)  may  be  of  the  eagle's 
own  slaying. — Verse  30.  Suck  up,  or  arc  thirsty  for.  This  sublime  pict- 
ure is  copied  in  Tennyson's  brief  poem,  "  The  Eagle,"  which  I  cannot 
forbear  quoting : 

"  He  clasps  the  crag  with  hooked  hands  ; 
Close  to  the  sun  in  lonely  lands, 
Kinged  with  the  azure  world  he  stands. 

"  The  wrinkled  sea  beneath  him  crawls  : 
He  watches  from  his  mountain  walls. 
And  like  a  thunderbolt  he  fails." 

CHAPTER   XL. 

There  is  here  no  discussion  of  Job's  case.  He  is  admitted  to  be 
innocent.  That  is  the  very  basis  of  the  Divine  rebuke,  which  consists, 
thus  far,  in  showing  him  how  many  things  beyond  the  knowledge  and 
power  of  man  are  continually  managed  by  God.  It  is  not  because  He  does 
not  care,  but  because  He  cares  so  much  and  for  so  many,  that  man  cannot 
understand  His  providence.  There  is  necessary  pain  in  the  operation  of 
natural  law,  with  which,  nevertheless,  God's  purposes  and  the  uses  of  our 
pain  to  us  are  consistent. — Verses  3-5  inclusive.  Job  confesses  that  this 
view  is  unanswerable.  It  is  the  evident  purpose  of  the  author  to  repre- 
sent Jehovah,  not  as  entering  the  argument,  but  as  uttering  the  incontro- 
vertible facts  beyond  argument. — Verse  8.  The  terse  application  of  the 
preceding  reflections.  Wilt  thou  treat  me  as  thou  sayest  I  treat  thee?  By 
ascribing  his  unmerited  suffering  to  God's  unreasoning  anger,  Job  has 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  185 

himself  condemned  God  unheard.  Amml  my  rigid  (or,  as  in  the  common 
VQT&ion^  disantml  my  judg incut)  is  neither  usurp  my  soverciynty  nor  deny 
my  wisdom,  but,  refuse  me  justice — ^just  what  Job  complains  of  in  xxvii. 
2,  and  other  passages. — Verse  9.  A  new  inflection  of  sarcastic  rebulce. 
Or  canst  thou  do  it  belter?  llicn  try. — Verse  14.  That  thy  riyht  hand  can 
save  thee.  The  ironical  invitation  is  that  Job  shall  undertake  the  manage- 
ment of  the  universe,  and,  of  course,  besides  punishing  evil-doers,  rescue 
himself.  And  the  thought  lying  back  of  this  sarcasm  is,  as  has  been 
suggested  by  the  survey  of  Nature  already  given,  that  Job  could  not  har- 
monize the  ends  he  would  seek  with  the  vast,  complicated,  and  unknown 
conditions  of  universal  government.  A  perfectly  wise  providence  must 
be  also  omniscient  and  omnipotent. — Verse  15.  The  description  of  the 
behemoth  and  the  leviathan,  which  extends  from  this  point  to  the  end  of 
the  next  chapter,  is  rejected  by  Ewald  as  a  later  addition.  His  reasons 
are,  that  the  argument  is  closed  with  xl.,  14 ;  that  these  two  descriptions 
are  in  style  unlike  the  preceding  ones,  being  feeble  and  prolix ;  that  they 
are  likewise  without  the  moral  meaning  elsewhere  enforced,  since  the 
monsters  are  described,  not  as  illustrations  of  God's  wisdom  and  power, 
but  simply  as  monsters ;  and  that  the  drama  is  improved  by  taking  them 
out.  Ewald  adduces  also  some  peculiarities  in  the  language  as  proofs  of 
a  different  authorship.  On  candid  examination,  all  these  grounds  appear 
to  be  more  ingenious  than  valid.  It  is  true  that  the  catalogue  given  in 
Chapter  xxxix.  is  sufficient  to  illustrate  the  power  and  wisdom  of  the 
Almighty,  and  His  multifarious  administration  in  Nature.  But  so  would 
a  shorter  catalogue  have  been.  Every  description,  indeed,  carries  the 
argument  complete  in  itself;  and  it  would  be  as  fair  to  strikeout  the 
war-horse  or  the  eagle,  as  the  behemoth  or  the  leviathan,  on  the  plea  of 
superfluity.  It  is  true,  again,  that  the  climax  of  the  argument  is  xl.  8-15 
(though  this  is  not  exactly  the  way  in  which  Ewald  conceives  it).  But 
we  are  not  justified  in  declaring  positively  that  the  climax  must  be  the 
end.  On  the  contrary,  there  seems  to  be  a  natural  connection  between 
the  challenge  to  Job,  to  try  his  hand  at  managing  the  world,  and  the  re- 
sumption of  the  enumeration  of  things  which  he  could  not  comprehend 
or  control.  As  for  the  alleged  absence  of  moral  purpose  in  these  two 
descriptions,  it  can  scarcely  be  maintained  in  view  of  xl.  15,  19;  xli.  10. 
The  alleged  feebleness  of  the  style  is  certainly  not  established,  nor  are 
Ewald's  philological  arguments  on  this  passage  generally  accepted.  Fi- 
nally, it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  author  of  Job  possessed  and 
exercised  the  same  right  as  any  other  poet,  of  introducing  fine  passages 
in  adornment  of  the  general  thought  and  in  enforcement  of  the  general 


186  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 

purpose  of  his  drama.  Job's  discourse  on  Wisdom  (Chapter  xxviii.),  like 
the  Almighty's  description  of  the  two  monsters,  besides  being  appropriate 
to  the  plot  and  the  personage,  is  a  legitimate  display  of  the  genius  of  the 
author.  To  say  that  the  drama  would  be  improved  by  striking  out  this 
passage  or  the  other,  is  legitimate  criticism,  though  it  may  not  'oc  well 
founded.  So  Goethe,  in  "  Wilhelm  Mcister,"  "  improves  "  the  play  of 
"  Hamlet ; "  but  he  does  not  argue  that  the  passages  he  amends  are  not 
Shakespeare's,  And  as  to  the  improvement  itself,  most  of  us  still  prefer 
Shakespeare's  "Hamlet"  to  Goethe's.  While  we  retain,  then,  as  genuine, 
the  passages  here  discussed,  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  attempts  of 
commentators  to  give  them  any  significance  beyond  that  of  a  further  ex- 
tension of  Chapter  xxxix.  are  unsuccessful. — Verse  15.  The  behemoth, 
i.  e.,  the  river-ox  or  hippopotamus,  strong  but  mild,  is  contrasted  with 
the  leviathan  or  crocodile  (xl.  1),  who  is  strong  and  fierce. — Verse  19. 
He  who  made  him  dulls  his  sword.  This  is  Ewald's  rendering.  The 
thought  is  that  God  has  established  the  strange  distinction  in  habits  be- 
tween the  mighty  but  peaceful  and  graminivorous  river-ox  and  the  terrible 
crocodile. — Verse  20.  Perhaps  a  hint  of  the  use  to  Avhich  the  tusk  of  the 
hippopotamus  is  applied,  in  rooting  up  plants.  Although  he  lives  in  the 
water,  yet  he  takes  his  food  on  the  mountains,  where  other  beasts  play 
unharnlcd  around  him. — Verse  23.  Jordan.  Used  for  any  large  stream. 
Not  a  proof  that  hippopotami  ever  inhabited  the  Jordan. 

CHAPTER   XLI. 

The  leviathan  is  here  doubtless  the  crocodile.  The  exaggerated  terms 
of  the  description  may  be  regarded  as  poetic  license  merely,  or  as  indi- 
cating the  author's  lack  of  familiarity  with  the  animal,  and  consequent 
reliance  upon  travelers'  stories.  Both  the  hippopotamus  and  the  croco- 
dile were  worshiped  in  Egypt  as  gods — a  circumstance  which  enhances 
the  force  of  the  thought  that  Jehovah  created  them  and  is  their  master. 
— Verse  1.  Wilt  thou  undertake  to  do  ivith  the  crocodile  what  can  be  done 
with  the  hippopotamus  ? — Verse  6.  Dig  a  pit  (common  version,  make  a 
banquet)  is  perhaps  better  given  by  Ewald,  cast  lots. — Verse  18.  The 
Egyptians  represented  the  dawn  as  a  crocodile  coming  to  the  surface,  or 
lying  Avith  the  top  of  its  head  and  its  eyes  just  out  of  water. — Verse  24. 
The  nether  millstone.  The  heavier,  perhaps  also  the  harder. — Verse  30. 
Shard  points  are  under  him  ;  he  spreads  a  thrcshing-slcdge  over  the  mire. 
The  trail  of  the  crocodile  is  compared  to  that  of  a  threshing-sledge,  a 
sort  of  heavy  harrow. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  187 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

It  is  evident  that  the  first  part  of  verse  3  and  the  whole  of  verse  4 
are  quotations.  Compare  xxxviii.  2,  and  xl.  Y. — Verse  T.  Jehovah  con- 
demns the  friends  in  language  of  profound  significance,  declaring  that 
they  have  not  spoken  of  Him  what  is  right,  and  approving  Job's  concep- 
tion of  His  providence.  Since  Job  has  already  been  rebuked  for  ascrib- 
ing unjust  anger  to  God,  it  is  evidently  the  remainder  of  his  view  which 
is  thus  approved.  This  may  be  found  in  those  passages  in  which  he 
rises  above  his  own  sufferings,  notably  in  the  chapter  on  Wisdom  (xxviii. 
28.  See  note  on  this  passage,  and  also  general  discussion  in  the  intro- 
ductory chapters  of  the  present  volume). — Verse  8.  And  Job  my  servant 
will  pray  for  you.  See  note  on  xxii.  30. — Verse  11.  A  kesita  (common 
version,  piece  of  money)  was  probably  not  a  stamped  coin,  but  a  certain 
weight  of  gold  or  silver.  The  word  occurs  in  Gen.  xxxiii.  19,  to  which 
reference  is  made  in  Josh.  xxiv.  32,  from  which  latter  passage  it  appears 
that  the  kesita  was,  in  that  instance,  silver.  It  is  not  mentioned  else- 
where in  Scripture,  and  its  value  is  undetermined,  unless  we  accept  the 
supposition  (having  for  its  very  meagre  basis  a  comparison  of  Gen. 
xxxiii.  19  with  Gen.  xxiii.  16)  that  it  weighed  four  times  as  much  as  the 
shekel.  But  the  patriarchal  shekel  itself  is  an  unknown  quantity.  All 
that  can  be  said  is,  that  it  was  certainly  not  stamped  and  current  by  au- 
thority ;  for  it  is  declared  to  have  been  weighed  out  by  Abraham  at  its 
market  value  {current  with  the  merchant).— \ix&Q  12.  Comparison  of 
these  figures  with  those  of  i.  3,  shows  the  details  of  the  narrative  to  be 
in  part,  at  least,  fictitious. — Verse  14.  The  names  of  the  three  daughters 
{Jemima,  a  dove,  Keziah,  the  spicy  cassia,  and  KcrenJinppuch,  a  paint- 
horn,  or  casket  for  cosmetics)  are  also  adduced  as  evidences  of  fiction, 
all  three  being  names  to  indicate  beauty.  By  itself,  this  argument  would 
be  weak ;  as  a  corroboration  of  many  other  signs  of  art  in  the  story,  it 
may  be  accepted. — Verse  15.  Gave  them  an  inheritance  among  their 
brethren.  Not  usuiiUy  granted  to  daughters.  See  Num.  xxvii.  8. — 
Verse  16.  This  term  of  life  is  attributed  to  the  later  patriarchal  period. 
Compare  Gen.  xi.  10-20 ;  xxv.  7,  8 ;  xxxv,  28,  29. 


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mon people.  They  are  not  sufficiently  understood  to  make  them  appreciated. 
\  our  brief  notes  relieve  them  of  all  their  want  of  interest  to  common  readers. 
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HaskeWs  Housekeeper'' s  Encyclopedia  ; 

Or,  Useful  luformalion  in  Cooking  and  Housekeeping.  1  vol., 
small  8vo.     Cloth,  $1.75. 

II. 
Blofs  {P.)  Hand-book  of  Practical  Cookery, 

For  Ladies  and  Professional  Cooks.  Containing  the  Whole  Science 
and  Art  of  preparing  Human  Food.  By  Pierre  Blot,  Professor 
of  Gastronomy  and  Founder  of  the  New  York  Cooking  Academy. 
1  vol.,  12mo.     Cloth,  $1.75. 

III. 
Becton^s  {Isabella)  Every-day  Cookery  and  Housekeeping  Book; 
Comprising  Instructions  for  Mistress  and  Servants,  and  a  Collec- 
tion of  over  1,500  Practical  Receipts,  with  104  Colored  Plates, 
showing  the  Proper  Mode  of  sending  Dishes  to  Table,  and  numer- 
ous adilitionalHlustrations.     1  vol.,  12mo.     Half  roan,  $1.50. 

IV. 

Beelon's  {Isabella)  Book  of  Household  Management. 

Being  a  History  of  the  Origin,  Properties,  and  Uses,  of  All  Things 
connected  with  Home  Life  and  Comfort.  Also,  Sanitary,  Medical, 
and  Legal  Memoranda.  12mo.  1,140  pages,  with  Colored  Hlus- 
trations.     1  vol.,  Timo.     $3.00. 

V. 

Eassie^s  {IV.)  Healthy  Houses. 

A  Hand-book  to  the  History,  Defects,  and  Remedies  of  Drainage, 
Ventilation,  Warming,  and  Kindred  Subjects.  With  Estimates 
for  the  Best  Systems  in  Use,  and  upward  of  300  Hlustrations.  By 
William  Eassie,  C.  E.,  F.  L.  S.,  F.  G.  S.,  etc.,  etc.,  late  Assistant 
Engineer  to  Renkioi  Hospital  during  the  Crimean  War.  1  vol., 
r2mo.     Cloth,  $1.00. 

VI. 

Scott's  {Frank  J.)  Suburban  Home  Grounds, 

And  the  Best  Modes  of  laying  out,  planting,  and  keeping  Deco- 
rated Grounds.  Hlustrated  by  upward  of  200  Plates  and  Engrav- 
ings of  Plans  for  Residences  and  their  Grounds,  of  Trees  and 
Shrubs  and  Garden  Eiubellishments.  With  Descriptions  of  the 
Beautiful  and  Hardy  Trees  and  Shrubs  grown  in  the  United  States. 
1  vol.,  large  8vo.     Cloth,  extra,  $8.00. 

D.  APr-LETON  &  CO.,  549  &  5.51  r.roadway.  New  York. 


TEIT-WORK  II  PALESTIIE : 

A  Record  cf  Discovery  and  AdveEtnie. 

By  CLAUDE    REIGNIER  CONDER,  R.  E., 
OmcEE  IN  Command  op  the  Suevey  Expeditiok.  * 

Published  for  the  Committee  of  the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund. 

With  33  Illustratims  by  J.  W.  wnYMFEE. 


2  Vols.,  8vo. 


Cloth,  $6.C0. 


CONT 

The  Road  to  Jerusalem. 

Shechem  and  the  Samaritans. 

The  Survey  of  Samaria. 

The  Great  Plain  op  Esdr.elon. 

The  Nazareth  Hills. 

Carmel  and  Acre. 

Sharon. 

Damascus,  Baalbek,  and  Hermon. 

Samson's  Country. 

Bethlehem  and  Mar  Suba. 

Jerusalem. 

The  Temple  and  Calvary. 


ENTS. 

Jericho. 

The  Jordan  Valley. 

Hebron  and  Beersheba. 

The  Land  of  Benjamin. 

The  Desert  of  Judah. 

The  Shephdah  and  Philistria. 

Galilee. 

The  Origin  of  the  Fellahin. 

Life  and  Habits  of  the  Fellahin. 

The  Bedawin. 

Jews,  Russians,  and  Germans. 

The  Fertility  of  Palestine. 


This  book  is  intended  to  give  as  accurate  a  general  description  as 
possible  of  Palestine,  which,  through  the  labors  of  the  Committee  of  the 
Exploration  Fund,  is  brought  home  to  us  in  such  a  way  that  the  student 
may  travel,  in  his  study,  over  its  weary  roads  and  rugged  hills  without 
an  ache,  and  may  ford  its  dangerous  Streams  and  pass  through  its  mala- 
rious plains  without  discomfort. 


D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  549  &  551  Broadway,  New  York. 


